OFF TO ST. BERNARD'S

Well we are off to the Burin Peninsula for the week-end. As more and more of you are from out of province, St. Bernard's is a little outport located just about at the knee of the Burin Peninsula on the province's south coast. It is about a three hour drive.

Touch base when we get there.

Cheers

SLUTBUCKS COFFEE

"has a naked woman on it with her legs spread like a prostitute, Need I say more? It's extremely poor taste, and the company might as well call themselves Slutbucks."

Are you a Starbucks coffee fan? I enjoy it but do not go out of my way to get it. A Christian group in San Diego has found grounds for complaint and are calling the company Slutbucks in reaction to the reintroduction of the company's retro-style logo.

The Resistance, who claim to have 3,000 members world wide, are calling for a boycott of the coffee-selling giant. The image is a less-revealing version of what the chain used for many years and was resurrected to celebrate the chain's anniversary. It is from a 16th century wood carving of a two tailed mermaid who is bare-breasted and Rubenesque, and was supposed to be as seductive as coffee itself.

If you see a line up of protesters at Atlantic Place or up at Chapters tonight, beware! I wonder what these nuts would do if they were ever allowed into an art gallery or a museum. Come to think of it, Coffee Matters on Water Street has a facsimile of Michelango's the David on display, dangly bits and all. The owners are gonna be mad at me for mentioning that.

SUCK IT UP AND PAY YOUR OWN BILLS

An article in today's Telegram by Tara Mullowney quotes an expert in ethics and political philosophy as saying Andy Wells should suck it up and pay his own legal bills.

The points are valid and the story provides a a nice background of how Wells picked up these debts that he feels no personal responsibility for paying.

In case anyone close to Andy is reading this blog, here are a couple of links to ways to help pay those bills. Try here and here and here.

OBAMA TO DEAL WITH APPEASEMENT ISSUE

Barack Obama is going to swing back at President Bush in a speech this afternoon at a campaign event in South Dakota. The exchange is unusual because there has always been an unwritten rule that the parties have adhered to, that partisan types do not disagree with the President while he is on foreign trips.

However, Bush fired the opening salvo shattering that arrangement yesterday in an address before the Israeli Knesset. He compared leaders who advocate dialogue with nations like Iran to Neville Chamberlain and other politicians who appeased Nazi aggression in the years leading up to the Second World War.

It was shot that White House Officials admit was aimed at the Democratic hopeful. This should provide the Senator with an opportunity to define himself on foreign policy and show that he can go toe to toe with Bush and the Republicans in an area where many consider him weak. This would be a great time for him and Clinton to take a united approach to taking on the Republicans.

Meanwhile Bush is spending the day in closed meetings with his allies in Saudi Arabia who just refused to produce more oil in an attempt to assist the American economy. Guess they have all the weapons they need to fend off democracy and back channel to the groups that Bush is concerned about.

DEMOCRATS UNITE

Playing the reluctant bride, John Edwards has said he is not interesting in making a second run for vice president. Edwards formally endorsed Obama earlier this week. I still think the timing of his endorsement goes to show just how old school, manipulative and strategic the Obama-Kerry team is.

It is time to bring Hillary on board. The president and vice don't have to love each other. Reagan and Bush Sr didn't like each other at. Neither did Kennedy and Johnson. t is time to unite the party.

I like Edwards, but an Obama-Edwards ticket is not a dream ticket. Obama is lacking in executive and foreign policy experience. He needs a running mate who can balance that out somehow. Edwards, like Obama, has neither.

BUGGER OFF GEORGE

The Saudis are flexing their independent streak! President Bush's request to immediately pump more oil to lower record prices has been rebuffed. Bush is meeting with King Abdullah today on his second trip to Saudi Arabia this year.

Guess we know who is in the driver's seat.

POLICY OPTIONS VICTORIA DAY GIFT

This month's edition of Policy Options looks at the state of the Liberal Party of Canada and the challenges that lay ahead. Good policy and good leadership while warming up the opposition benches makes for many hurdles.

Dion has not come on strong, his performance has been uneven and the party up to this point has no coherent policy framework. All of that seems to be changing as the media begin to sort through the differences and the federal parties realize that this malaise can only be broken by offering renewal. The Liberal brand is just not enough anymore.

Former pollster and Liberal party campaign campaign chair David Herle has an article which was reprinted in yesterday's Toronto Star. Former Liberal Party of Canada Executive Director Steve MacKinnon writes about what has been learned and provides his blueprint for the future. Graham Fox looks at the fallout from the last leadership convention and Gilles Paquet looks at Dion's leadership style.

And last but not least, Stephane Dion underlines his party's role as the party of the centre and talks about building a bridge to the future.

It is a pretty jam packed edition full of great reading for any politico on the May 24th weekend. Perhaps we get away from the cancer hearings early in the week to discuss these articles.

THE BIG MAY 24

The May 2-4 weekend is here. Yippie. The start of summer, or at least a break from two consecutive weeks of fog, drizzle and rain. I hope to at least feel the warmth of the sun and perhaps even see the life giving celestial orb.

We are heading out to St. Bernard's. The kids are hyper. They cannot wait to see Nannie and Poppie Whittle. It means freedom to roam, late nights, a trip in the boat, fresh fish and a feed of lobster.

I always spend the few days leading up to a trip home worried. I hate driving on long weekends. It is not the condition of the roads but unsafe drivers. For some reason the mild mannered Dr. Bruce Banner drivers are transformed into Green monsters with no regard for other people's safety.

As I normally do the driving, the safety of my family is of utmost concern. I'll get a good night's sleep, ensure the pressure on the tires is good and the vehicle is in tip top shape. It is the things that are beyond my control that cause me anxiety. Add to that fog and a few caribou and I could easily be talked into staying at home.

I hope you have a safe and enjoyable weekend. Drive safely, the ten minutes you gain by speeding is not worth your or someone else's life

DINNER CALLED OFF

I wonder if Kevin Breen, Andy Wells and anyone else involved in raising money to help the former mayor and current PUB boss loosen up his personal financial situation understand why the planned fund raising dinner stirred up such controversy.

Kevin Breen, a former St. John's city councilor and an organizer of the event, is quoted on CBC as saying the fund raiser is canceled because the squabble over the dinner has distorted its original purpose.

It is a bit rich if the original purpose was to say thank you, considering the Mayor had already rejected a proper send-off in the weeks leading up to his departure from the office on New Gower. It was all about raising money to pay bills.

To claim that this would not have been a conflict of interest is foolishness. The chair of the PUB not only has to follow the letter of the law, he must be seen to be under no outside influence at all.

The PUB is an independent, quasi-judicial body responsible for the regulation of the electric utilities in the province, to ensure the rates charged are just and reasonable and the service provided is safe and reliable.

Which gets me to thinking about Wells' comments related to Hydro's latest request for an increase. Why would he even comment on it publicly beyond acknowledging that a rate hike was requested?

DOES THE COLLECTIVE MEDIA HAVE A SPINE

I just noticed that Geoff Meeker has written a post on Premier Williams and his handling of CBC's senior Political Reporter David Cochrane in a scrum yesterday over the Andy Wells fundraising issue.

I have already written my opinions on the matter but Meeker adds a new dimension. He alleges that the Premier instructed his staff to cut Cochrane off from further media contact. "He chided Cochrane for getting his facts wrong, and abruptly walked away, before being called back by another reporter for an unrelated question. Shortly after, the premier pointed at Cochrane and said to his communications director: “Make sure he gets cuts off.”

If this is indeed the case than the media as a united voice must address this issue. I am not sure how the press gallery works at the Confederation Building these days, but if they have a spine at all they will act together. It is ironic that I am writing this post on my coffee-break from a building that used to be the press club.

We have seen and heard similar stories of reporters being cut off. Ryan Cleary at The Independent spoke of his time in the freezer, Craig Westcott continues to pay for his critical opinions and aggressive style. Yesterday Randy Simms was very critical of the Andy Wells fund raising issue, The Telegram editorial yesterday slammed the government's approach to the Cameron Inquiry, and even Bill Rowe has been saying it is the wrong approach. Are all these people wrong? Will they all be cut off? Perhaps they should cut off the government.

Sorry, I like many of the things this government has done but a majority does not give someone the right to silence the media. Perhaps the Premier was flustered, perhaps Cochrane pushed a little hard but that does not excuse the comments. The media needs to stand as one on this issue. If not they are spineless!

THE ELUSIVE EQUATION

In the view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able to recognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what makes me really angry is that they quote me for support of such views.” (The Expanded Quotable Einstein, Princeton University Press, 2000)

In the mid 1950's Albert Einstein wrote a letter to philosopher Eric Gutkind in which he is reported to have dismissed the role of religion, the Christian bible and the role of the Jews.

That letter sold at Bloomsbury Auctions yesterday for over $300,000 when it was purchased by a private collector. Einstein penned the letter in response to Gutkind's book Choose Life: The Biblical Call to Revolt.

In the letter, Einstein is frank about his views on the supernatural. "The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this."

Einstein, who was Jewish and who declined an offer to be the state of Israel's second president, also rejected the idea that the Jews are God's favored people.

On the other hand he was no Atheist either. Elizabeth Scalla has written an article that looks at Einstein and his faith in an article that is posted at Pajamas Media.

I think he was vexed with the things he could not answer through logic and equations. That order given to chaos opened up many unanswerable questions. This was not a man without faith.

SHOOTING THE MESSENGER

Anyone else catch the exchange this morning between CBC reporter David Cochrane and Premier Williams over the Andy Wells fundraising issue? It was a hot little exchange where the Premier attempted to turn the tables and question the reporter's facts.

Obviously if a senior bureaucrat appointed by the Premier is looking for help to pay off debts to better his personal finances it is a news story. If that person happens to be Andy Wells, who refused to leave his role as Mayor of St. John's because he wanted to stay on longer for the extra salary to address legal bills he incurred through his own actions, than it is an even bigger story.

The guy has been given a huge job with a huge salary paid for by the taxpayers of this province. There is plenty of potential for a conflict of interest. It does not matter if it is a dinner or a direct solicitation, if proceeds are going to pay Andy's legal bills it raises legitimate concerns.

Cochrane has a job to do and by accounts he does it well. Questioning his credibility is like shooting the messenger. Let's face it, Kevin Breen was arranging a dinner and soliciting funds. Just because patrons get some rubber chicken does not change the fact that the money is going towards bettering the personal financial position of a senior public official.

Andy Wells served his city well. He deserves a send off dinner but not a pile of cash! He has picked up a nice reward. Why does he feel other people owe him financial assistance to pay his outlandish legal bills? Why does the Premier give him so much latitude? Talk about biting the hand that feeds you! There are a lot more qualified and probably loyal people who could be in that job at the PUB who would not put the premier in embarrassing positions.

SHOCK DOCTRINE SOON TO BE RELEASED IN PAPERBACK

Great news for folks who wanted to pick up Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine - it is going to be released in a paperback edition in July.

It was my favorite book of 2007. A real eye opener to the secret history of global profiteers and how their theories were brought into practice leaving a swath of misery and disaster.

I am looking forward to the launch and hope that St. John's makes the tour.

Klein's latest article is about China's massive surveillance industry and is published in Rolling Stone magazine. She investigates the high-tech police state and the implications for other countries as China starts exporting its prototype of Big Brother.

CHAMBERLAIN AND APPEASEMENT: REPUBLICANS UP RHETORIC

President George Bush broke an unwritten rule of political protocol today in his speech to the Israeli Knesset. The rule is that politicians leave domestic partisan politics at home when abroad and politicians do not attack the President's policies while he is in a foreign country. It seems that convention is now in the past.

He drove home some pointed partisan remarks at the Democrats' most likely choice for Presidential candidate, Barack Obama. He opened a new theater of partisan war with his comments that alluded to a United States under the Democrats that would be much like Britain under Neville Chamberlain. He said that some Democrats were acting in the same way that some Western leaders did when they appeased Hitler in the run-up to World War II.

He said it was foolish to consider appeasement, and scoffed that some brilliant rhetoric would so engage the terrorists that they would cease to be a threat. Of course he did not name Obama and the White House denies that the comments were aimed at him.

There can be no doubt that this was a calculated risk. Senator John McCain has been alluding to Obama as the favored candidate of Hamas and attacking the junior senator for his willingness for "tough, direct presidential diplomacy with Iran without preconditions, and is willing to meet with the leaders of all nations, friend and foe."

"It is a serious error on the part of Sen. Obama that shows naiveté and inexperience and lack of judgment to say that he wants to sit down across the table from an individual who leads a country who says that Israel is a stinking corpse," McCain said.

Of course he does not support talks with Hamas but the Republicans have seized on the issue to show weakness and are now evoking memories of the holocaust and Chamberlain's appeasement of Hitler in an attempt to define Obama as weak.

Sometimes I think Miley Cyrus would make a better president than Bush. I guess this is a taste of how nasty this election is going to be.

WELLS ON THE IDEOLOGICAL DIVIDE

Paul Wells muses about the close of Parliament and the summer ahead. Harper will be out of sight plotting and organizing while Dion works on his reputation. Wells says the next election is going to be about big ideas. There is a big gap, a growing gap between the two principles in this epic battle to come. Their visions and approach too radically different to avoid a debate.

We are in store for an election that breaks the log jam and allows the winner to chart the country's future. Why, because as Wells says, the times demand it.

CARBON, CREDIBILITY AND THE NEXT ELECTION

That's if the press can be induced to get off their duffs and examine it as policy, rather than indulging in the usual idle speculation on how it will play politically. So far, most of the commentary has been confined to guffawing at Stéphane Dion for his naïveté in suggesting it. "Mr. Dion's idea," the National Post declared authoritatively, "will be suicidal at the polls." This is why Dion will never be prime minister, the paper's comment editor, Jonathan Kay, agreed, while the Globe and Mail's Margaret Wente saw it as evidence of his "unerring instinct for his own jugular." To be fair, that's what many anonymous Liberals are saying, taking advantage of the witness protection program the Globe appears to be operating on its front page. - Andrew Coyne

Politics has always made for strange bedfellows and I am learning to never say never. It seems as if Stephane Dion is taking advice from Andrew Coyne, going with big ideas to capture the imagination of the nation and create a divisive issue that clearly shows the difference between the Liberals and the Conservatives.

Coyne's latest column at Macleans.ca illustrates that despite the "Nervous Nellies" in the Liberal Caucus this "Carbon Tax" may become the defining difference between the parties. An election on the environment plays well for Dion.

CRIMINAL CODE VS SCHOOLS ACT

An interesting stand-off is developing between the RCMP and the Nova Central School District in Central Newfoundland.

The RCMP were granted a provincial court order to obtain the school records of a man who has been charged with second degree murder. The School Board has refused to comply and has gone to court to block the RCMP from obtaining the confidential records.

The board is arguing that the Provincial Schools Act says anyone over 18 has to give the board permission to release their confidential student records and the murder suspect has not provided that permission.

Jonathan Whiteway, 21, was charged with first-degree murder in March after his stepmother, Dianne Whiteway, 46, was shot and killed in their home in Lewisporte. Whiteway is scheduled to make a court appearance in Gander on June 3.

BOARD GAME NEWS

The gang at Downtown comics brought a game in for me this week that looks like it will be a lot of fun. It is called Caylus and is published by Rio Grande and was developed by Ystari. It's been around for a couple of years and I am glad to finally have a copy of this highly acclaimed game.

The game is themed on the village of Caylus, which is in France, not too far from Carcassonne . Players represent master builders, and each master builder employs a team of workers. The master builders have been commissioned by royalty to construct a castle at Caylus. However, Caylus presently cannot cope with such a request. To build the castle, the village infrastructure has to be developed in order to cope with the influx of labour. The player who best exploits the opportunities presented, and converts them into prestige points, will win the game.

I have only gotten as far as peeling the plastic off the box and reading the instructions. Each player gets a pile of houses and cylinders of their colors, and there are a pile of cubes that are used for resources. The most striking part of the game is the tiles that players build, with some pictures that look good against the backdrop of the beautiful board. Everything looks nice, is of high quality, and fits easily in the large box. It's just that the theme, which is the rebuilding of the castle, doesn't really come through the components.

The rulebook is printed in full color and shows many examples and illustrations of how the game works. I have spent about an hour setting up the game and trying to get my head around the rules. It is available on BSW, so I'll observe a few games and learn. I am beginning to think that the best way to learn Caylus is simply to play it, as things become clear as the game goes along. It would be even better to play it with someone who already has a good handle on the rules.

It is a two to five player strategy game that has very little to do with luck. There is no hidden information. It is about anticipating the right move and seizing opportunities.

I am told the game can be long, so the bottleneck again is finding hard core gamers who are willing to commit up to three hours to one game. If you have played the game and have the patience to take me through it let me know.

IT'S ALL ABOUT OIL AND GAS

It's a small step for the taxpayer but a huge leap toward settling the issue of Canada's bid to settle its sovereignty over millions of square kilometres of Arctic and Atlantic Ocean seabed. Ottawa will invest $40 million over four years in an attempt to prove the North American continental shelf extends far beyond Canada's 200-nautical-mile limit.

Canada has until 2013 to make a case to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea that it ought to be granted jurisdiction over the extended continental shelf, off the northeast coast of Ellesmere Island in Canada's high Arctic and in a wide crescent off the east coast. Other polar countries, including the U.S., Russia and Denmark, are also trying to prove their claim to some of the same area.

At stake, Billions of dollars in potential oil and gas reserves. Too bad the feds could not have seen fit to invest more in fisheries science to protect the resources that swim in those eastern waters and supported hundreds of outports.

DION STAYS THE COURSE

The Toronto Star is reporting that Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion's carbon tax proposal got a rough ride during a caucus meeting yesterday.

Caucus members "massively and aggressively" warned Dion that the sales job thus far has been abysmal amid warnings that the proposal could be political suicide.

Dion will speak to the Canadian Club in Toronto today. In a speech titled "Bridge to the Future," he's expected to talk about his party's economic proposals and perhaps hint at the Liberal strategy for dealing with greenhouse gases.

Dion is defending the initiative but concedes the party will need a well-developed sales pitch to explain the carbon plan to voters. Meanwhile the Conservatives are defining the plan as a tax grab and twisting the issue as an attempt to rise gas prices on ordinary homeowners and drivers.

SMITH SNACKS RECALL

There seems to be a food recall just about every day. Normally it is some lettuce, grapes, spinach, or hamburger meat from away. We look in our freezer to see if we have it and that is it.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency released a warning today that Smith Snacks Small Sub sandwiches made in Norman's Cove may be contaminated. The company is voluntarily recalling the prepackaged sandwiches from the marketplace.

The affected products may contain Listeria monocytogenes, and "may not look or smell spoiled," the CFIA said, adding that resulting listeriosis can result in high fever, severe headaches, neck stiffness and nausea. Pregnant women, seniors and people with weak immune systems are particularly at risk.

So if you were in a rush for lunch today and grabbed a small sub out of the cooler at your local convenience store or gas bar check the packaging before you eat. The code to watch for is 23858 00026 0 and a best-before date of June 8, 2008.

And if you're spending time on the porcelain throne or gabbing with Ralph on the great white phone, sorry I never got this out to you earlier!

LIMITING THE LOSSES

The unfolding tragedy in China following that powerful earthquake reminds one that no matter how advanced we become as a society, mother nature is still boss. In this part of the world we are not as prone to earthquakes. Hurricanes and strong storms can whack a bunch and have caused lots of damage but we normally have lots of notice and can prepare in advance.

We should not feel over-secure. There is plenty of seismic activity off our shores and the great tidal wave of 1929 was caused by an earthquake on the floors of the Grand Banks.

The death toll in China is now near 20,000 and it continues to escalate with each refresh of my news websites. The pictures of trapped kids in collapsed schools have bothered me the most. It seems in these earthquake prone regions that schools are death traps. Recent quakes in Turkey, Pakistan, Iran and now China all seem to claim too many children in schools that have been reduced to rubble.

Why have these countries not invested in ensuring that schools are sturdy enough to withstand a seismic action, or that disintegrate in a way that that gives the children a fighting chance. These countries all spend billions of dollars on enhancing their military might, when a small fraction of that money could be invested into making schools safer.

Andrew Revikin of the New York Times looks at the issue of earthquake proofing schools in Canada and the United States and the reasons why schools in the developing world are kill zones.

Geoffrey York of the Globe and Mail looks at corruption, shoddy construction and cost cutting as factors in the huge loss of life.

WHAT I MISS ABOUT YOU

Marie Coco writes on what she will not miss about the Democratic nomination contest when it finishes. In particular she will not miss the the unrelenting, sex-based hate that has been hurled at a former first lady and two-term senator from New York.

Among the other things she will not miss are:

Seeing advertisements for T-shirts that bear the slogan "Bros before Hos." The shirts depict Barack Obama (the Bro) and Hillary Clinton (the Ho) and are widely sold on the Internet.

Walking past airport concessions selling the Hillary Nutcracker, a device in which a pantsuit-clad Clinton doll opens her legs to reveal stainless-steel thighs that, well, bust nuts. I won't miss television and newspaper stories that make light of the novelty item.

Reading another treatise by a man or woman, of the left or right, who says that sexism has had not even a teeny-weeny bit of influence on the course of the Democratic campaign. To hint that sexism might possibly have had a minimal role is to play that risible "gender card."

Most of all she says she will not miss the silence of the Democratic National Convention Committee who have never uttered a word of outrage. Read her entire article here in the Washington Post.

COGNITIVE WORKOUTS OR LOBOTOMIES

Adults are so busy imagining the ways that technology can improve classroom learning or improve the public debate that they've blinded themselves to the collective dumbing down that is actually taking place. The kids are using their technological advantage to immerse themselves in a trivial, solipsistic, distracting online world at the expense of more enriching activities – like opening a book or writing complete sentences. - From David Robinson's review of The Dumbest Generation

The Wall Street Journal features a review of Mark Bauerlein's book The Dumbest Generation. I have not seen this title but based on this review it will be added to my acquisition list.

Is all that time on computer surfing the net, playing video games, watching YouTube and participating in MySpace good or bad? Does it make a difference?

In "The Dumbest Generation," Bauerlein argues that cultural and technological forces, far from opening up an exciting new world of learning and thinking, have conspired to create a level of public ignorance so high as to threaten our democracy.

David Robinson is associate director of Princeton University's Center for Information Technology Policy.

SIN TAXES AND DION'S CARBON TAX

It will soon be your chance to help Stéphane Dion bring about a fundamental shift in our society. Don't worry about whether he can win an election on it and second guess the strategy. Instead, be proud of the fact that you agree with him and try to convince your friends and family. That is the only way to change society.

Jason Cherniak looks at Carbon Taxes and applauds Liberal Leader Stephen Dion for bringing forth a policy that will change society for the good.

It is leadership by conviction not the polls. I respect it.

WHAT'S WITH ANDY

My kids love this cartoon show called "What's with Andy?". It is all about the antics of a boy named Andy Larkin, his friend Danny Pickett, and the citizens of East Gackle whom he is constantly tricking.

If media reports are any indication we have our own prankster named Andy in St. John's. This is a story of an outspoken reformer who became Mayor and continues to have fun as the full-time chair of the Public Utilities Board. It seems that Andy's whopping new salary and past court awards are not enough to allow him to live the life he has become accustomed to. The problem is not his income but some past debts.

Andy successfully sued fellow councilor Paul Sears for defamation after he was accused of not collecting unpaid taxes from companies that donated to his election campaigns. The settlement was not high enough for Andy so as a prank he appealed. Like little Andy Larkin this prank blew up in his face and our Andy lost the appeal and was told to pay Sears' legal bills as well as repay the original settlement.

Andy attempted to hold his Mayor's job and the new position at the PUB. He thought it would be good for the city and save a pile of cash for the taxpayers by avoiding costly by-elections. However it turned out that it was another prank. Andy did not care about the taxpayer's wallet it was his own. He confessed that he needed to stay on to settle this $100,000 debt from the failed court case. Principle Williams finally said enough is enough and told Andy to make a choice.

It has been very quiet since Andy left City Hall. A few parting shots but no pranks. Then yesterday we learn that Andy still does not feel that he should have to pay the $100,000 and has former councilor Kevin Breen out canvassing suckers, I mean companies, for donations to assist Andy in paying down the debt.

Former Cabinet ministers cannot work for companies that their departments did business with for a period of time after they leave politics. Provincial and federal politicians are subject to rules for donations. It seems Andy feels he knows the rules and has promised there will not be even so much as a hint of a conflict of interest, yet he will not divulge who has been approached to bail him out or who has anted up. Are any of them the companies that Sears referred to back in 2003?

Why can't he just get a bank loan and pay his debts like anyone else? Put his house up on a new mortgage? Extend his line of credit or do the things other people have to do? Sure, he said he was capable of doing two jobs at once, so get a second job. I am sure Sobey's or Dominion would love to have a skilled bag boy or perhaps he could be a greeter at Walmart.

This is the same Andy who used to get upset with the derelicts that hang out downtown playing instruments or begging for a few coins. I imagine $100,000 would get a few of them back to British Columbia fairly comfortably. Makes one wonder who the real bums are?

LET THE JUDGE BE THE JUDGE

Because, whatever else it is, the judiciary is not politics. It may have a healthy dose of retired politicians in this province, but the pull of the political is no gravity at all for a clear-thinking, practical, pragmatic judge. - The Telegram

Today's editorial in the Telegram may not be the type of advice the Premier may want to hear at this point but it is good counsel. The paper argues that this is Cameron's inquiry, lists her credentials and speaks to her credibility.

The government cannot be expected to write a blank cheque and let this inquiry go on forever. The government has a right to consider the costs as long as that is their real motivation. It was greatly delayed by a government organization that wanted to hide the facts of operational deficits from the public. Let the judge be the judge of the rules and process.

The other issue is time and the impact on the medical system as a whole. Royal Commissions of this type rarely finish on time. There are bound to be delays and lots of unexpected turns of events. There is no doubt that budget cuts, managerial malaise, reorganization, retention, doctor shortages, this scandal and the hearing looking into it are causing lots of stress. Government should do what it can to relieve the stress caused by the other issues.

Government will have to rebuild Humpty Dumpty when all is said and done, but remember he was in pretty hard shape before the breast cancer debacle pushed him off the wall.

The government does have the responsibility of paying the builds and restoring public confidence to a tattered health care system. The big picture is their problem and it is only fair that we consider that as well.

RETHINKING BRETTON WOODS

The Keynesian framework rejects a balanced budget, and calls for fiscal stimulus through budget deficits, especially when lowering interest rates fails to end stagnation. Thinking about the economy as driven by spending is once again accepted as basic macroeconomics.

Milton Friedman is probably rolling around in his grave tonight as the free market economy theories are proving useless and a revival of John Maynard Keynes has arrived. Duncan Cameron over at Rabble.ca argues it is time to give Keynes another look for the best package of policies to fight stagnation, recession, or worse.

THE POPULAR VOTE

The Clinton Campaign is saying it will win the popular vote before the end of the campaign. Hillary is telling her supporters, if I lose, Obama is the choice not John McCain. She is trying to wrap up the loose ends as she maneuvers her way to the Vice-Presidential nomination.

Is there any real weight in the argument that the majority of Democrats who voted , voted for me. Perhaps this is a moral argument to the Superdelegates that not supporting Clinton would be tantamount to rejecting the choice of the grass roots of the Democratic Party!

The winner is the first one past the goal post. The first to reach the magic number. The problem of course in this race is that the number is sort of up for debate. There are lots of issues not the least of which is legitimacy of nominations (Florida and Michigan), voter eligibility differences from state to state, and the exclusion from the totals of participants who did not declare a preference.

As with everything else in this nomination, the popular vote issue is clouded and murky at best. But you play the hand you're dealt, right!

A CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE OR EXTREME PARANOIA?

The two former stories, quoting the Premier with text and audio, do not appear to have been re-assigned new file numbers, and can no longer be located in any form on the VOCM site.

For a while now some bloggers and political pundits have referred to VOCM as the Voice of the Cabinet Minister. I think it is an unfair label but hey if you're not railing against the government you're part of the Pitcher Plant crew. It is as black and white as that.

Today a blogger and critic raised some questions about the station's website and the removal of two stories and audio streams related to Premier and the Cameron Inquiry. Is this paranoia or is Wally on to something. What happened to the original files #28680, the latter, #28681? Was this regular practice?

I intend to seek a retort from VOCM News in the morning.

NOTTAWA MAKES AN INTERESTING POINT