Once again, Stephen Harper has managed to reach a level of hypocrisy that leaves one breathless. Notwithstanding all the Conservative excuses for the recent Senate appointments by our esteemed Prime Minister, the fact is that, once again, Mr. Harper has proved that he has no intention of following through on promises made or philosophies espoused. Harper now holds the record for the most Senate appointments made by a Prime Minister in a twelve-month period. The previous record was set by Robert Borden waaayyyy back in 1917 (it's interesting to note that he was a Conservative as well). Here are some quotes from Mr. Harper and his website(s):

"We don't support any Senate appointments."(Stephen Harper, Winnipeg Free Press, January 29, 1996)

"Despite the fine work of many individual Senators, the Upper House remains a dumping ground for the favoured cronies of the Prime Minister."(Stephen Harper Leadership Website, January 15, 2004)

"In the 21st century, those who want to sit in the parliament of a democratic state should have a mandate from the people." (Stephen Harper, February 7, 2006)

"A conservative government will not appoint to the senate anyone who does not have a mandate from the people."(Conservative Party website during 2006 election)

"As everyone in this room knows, it has become a right of passage for aspiring leaders and prime ministers to promise Senate reform - on their way to the top - but once they are elected, Senate reform quickly falls to the bottom of the Government's agenda. Nothing ever gets done."(Stephen Harper, Speech on Senate Reform before Senate Committee, September 7, 2006)

"I don't plan to appoint senators; that's not my intention."(Stephen Harper, Cornwall Standard-Freeholder, January 14, 2006)

"Stephen Harper will cease patronage appointments to the Senate. Only candidates elected by the people will be named to the Upper House."(Stephen Harper Leadership Website, January 15, 2004)

"Canadians from Newfoundland and Labrador to British Columbia remain ashamed of Canada`s senior legislative body. They are ashamed the Prime Minister continues the disgraceful, undemocratic appointment of undemocratic Liberals to the undemocratic Senate to pass all too often undemocratic legislation."(Stephen Harper, Hansard, March 7, 1996)

The highlights are mine but you get the drift. Mr. Harper has no intention of honouring his words and the sooner that the Canadian people realize that, the better off we will all be.

I just had a friend send me an ultra-right-wing conservative e-mail about President Obama. Whoever oiginated the e-mail is obviously not a fan but what really irritated me is that the article (written by a New York "commentator") was picked up off the Canadian Press (something like the U.S.'s AP) and then attributed to Canada. It refers to the "Canadian insight" about Obama. This friend of mine sent it to me and it's simply a rant about how terrible Obama is and I blew. I e-mailed him back and said "God, the man's only been in office for 8 months!" George Dubbya had 8 years and look where he left the U.S.

I won't go into the issues but what really burns me is that, after 8 months, people are already calling Obama names and saying that he doesn't know what he's doing. That may be true but 8 months in office as the President of the United States is, in my book, just barely getting your feet wet.

What on earth do people expect? Unless you're a total doofus, you get that long to learn the basics of waiting tables or slinging beer or running an office.

There seems to be a real tendency these days to want to cut people down. It's not just the big players - people are impatient and demanding in all aspects of their lives and when they don't get what they want when they want it, they're downright rude and ignorant.

I really don't have an opinion about Obama one way or the other but, come on people! I'd love for all these criticizers to take on the job for a year. What a scary thought!

We should all stop armchair-quarterbacking and give people some slack. We're all only human and this tendency for people to bitch for the sake of bitching is getting old.

What on earth is the federal government under our illustrious leader, Stephen Harper, going to do when the Supreme Court of Canada denies his appeal to prevent Omar Khadr from being brought back to Canada?

A Federal Court ordered the government to have Khadr repatriated. Harper and company appealed that and lost. Now, they are appealing that loss to the Supreme Court.

I don't even know if Khadr should be brought back. I know very little about his constitutional rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. What I do know, however, is that two Courts have examined the matter and decided that the government is contravening Mr. Khadr's rights insomuch as he is a Canadian citizen.

Whether I or anyone else thinks that Omar Khadr is a terrorist or a "child soldier" is beside the point. Our Courts have seriously considered the evidence and made two rulings that the government doesn't like. Instead of sucking it up and doing what its own judicial institutions say it should, Harper and pals are sulking and refusing to play by the rules. So, in the meantime, they will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars continuing the fight. I sincerely hope that when the Supreme Court judgment is handed down, Harper will have the good grace to stop acting like a spoiled brat and do what any decent man would do - admit that you've lost and make all speed to do what's necessary. What are the chances?

I just finished watching the "Fifth Estate" rerun of the interview with one of the young men who went to prison for pleading guilty to being accomplices of the man who killed the four RCMP officers in Meyerthorpe, Alberta.

Now, I'm not going to comment on the merits of the case and whether they should have pled guilty or not, but one thing that the young man said in the interview was that he pled guilty, in part, because he could not afford to do otherwise.

This comment has reinforced in my mind the vast difference that having money (or not) makes in the outcome of anyone's involvement as an accused in our so-called "justice system".

Imagine that you make $50,000 a year and are charged with a serious crime. You didn't do it but the police and Crown say you did. You now have a choice - you can resolve to fight the injustice by pleading "not guilty" and going to trial. This will cost you thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars with no guarantee of justice in the end. Or, you can plead "guilty", be sentenced quickly by a judge and hope to get out of prison after 2/3rds of your sentence has been served.

Now, imagine the same scenario, but you make $500,000 a year. You can afford to fight it. You can afford to hire the best lawyer and the better lawyer you hire, the better your odds are that justice will prevail.

No less than the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Beverley McLachlin, has said that the middle class in Canada is being hardest-hit in terms of dealing with the legal system, for two reasons: 1. They aren't "poor" by government standards and so can't obtain Legal Aid; and 2. They aren't rich so can't afford decent representation unless they put a second mortgage on the house, hock their children's university funds or cash in their retirement savings (see the transcript of her speech).

This problem is also creating a bigger backlog in the Courts (as if it can get worse!) because people are beginning to go to Court representing themselves. This, of course, is usually in civil cases, but it's not for the inexperienced or faint of heart. I know because I did it. I sued a company (I won, by the way) but the process is complicated and intimidating and most people simply give up in the effort.

Lawyers have to realize that, no matter how talented, $400, $600, $900 an hour is ludicrous no matter how talented the lawyer and the end result is a so-called "justice system" for the rich.

I've Succumbed to the Blogosphere!

Okay, so this is my very first attempt at blogging and I guess I should explain why I decided to do this.

I've lived in Canada all my life and have been around long enough to develop a deep, abiding, love for this country that can't be explained. I've lived in different places in the country, visited many more and seen and experienced her beauty, her people, and some of her warts (that boring drive between Calgary and Medicine Hat springs to mind.)

So, what this blog is about is Canada. And it's not to post pretty pictures of the Rockies or to publish my holiday videos. It's to express how I feel about how this country has fared in the past and how/if it will fare in the future. It's about what I deem what's right and what's wrong in my world. It's about cracks in the establishment, holes in the system, and ponderings about all manner of things.

My politics are centre left. My religious affiliations are nil. My mind is often idealistic but my gut is cynical. So, this blog is to let off steam and to express how much I want for this country but how much I fear for it, as well.

I won't be revealing my name, where I live, or any contact information. I simply want to get my opinions out there. I could join the different news sites and post my comments to each passing news item but that seems reactive rather than proactive. I hope that other folks might share my opinions and thoughts but if they don't, that's okay too.

I have no idea how this blogging thing works so I won't post anything at length today. I just wanted to get started. More later.