(Through Rose-Coloured Glasses)

Mr. Harper, has gone command-and-control in a big way. He’s taking only five questions a day from journalists. He’s avoiding unscripted encounters with members of the public. Unsurprisingly, he wants no part of the one-on-one debate for which Mr. Ignatieff is lobbying —– Adam Radwanski (G&M)

To limit how many questions journalists can put to Mr. Harper……… At just five questions a day, you can literally count on one hand how many questions Harper takes everyday. The obvious intent is to restrict the range of topics (coalition, not contempt), keep him from stumbling, and stay on message to get the talking points out. —– Peter Harris, Global National TV

And our top 15 reasons are

1. 講多錯多

2. Five questions a day, keep the Coalition away

3. The bottle genie grants only 3 wishes, and Mr. Harper already granted 5

4. Too risky, 5 is more than enough

5. KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid)

6. Ssshhh, keep quiet

7. Topic already covered. Next

8. Good question. Next

9. This counts as one, next question

10. T’s for your own good, more than you can handle

11. The answer is NO, what is the question?

12. Shut up, no more question, just listen

13. A majority, no question asked

14. No question please, we are Conservatives

15. Pre-emptive damage control

(Through Rose-Coloured Glasses)

1. One-on-one? You heard it wrong, buddy, I said: None

2. Sorry, too risky, stick with 5 questions a day

3. “Our first preference was a direct debate with the leader of the coalition.” No coalition, no debate

4. Ignatieff? Who?

5. I meant one-on-one with May

6. The consortium of broadcasters rejected that idea, not me

7. One-on-one or regular? With fries to go?

8. Iggy is greedy, he wanted a one-on-one debate and a regular leader’s debate, too

9. “I was hoping maybe I could have a one-on-one debate with Mr. Harper,” Mr. Layton said. See what you guys did. Now everybody wants me.

10. Well, you win some, you lose some

(Through Rose-Coloured Glasses)

Once upon a time there was a paranoid chicken named Chicken Little.

One day Chicken Little was pondering how to win the Great Canadian throw-down, when some thought hit him.

“Hey,” cried Chicken Little, “that’s it. The sky is falling. The Coalition is coming. I must go and tell everyone.”

So Chicken Little ran and ran, across and around the country, proclaiming, “The sky is falling, the Coalition is coming.”

Along the way to Little Italy, he met Henny Penny.

Henny Penny asked, “Where are you going, Chicken Little?”

“Oh, the sky is falling, the Coalition is coming!”

Henny Penny said, “How do you know?”

Chicken Little replied, “The end is near, either a majority for us or that Coalition. Keep it between ourselves; I almost form one myself in 2004.”

Henny Penny, “This is terrible, just terrible! We’d better hurry up.”

So they both ran away as fast as they could. Soon they met Ducky Lucky.

Ducky Lucky, “Where are you going, Chicken Little and Henny Penny?”

Chicken Little & Henny Penny, “The sky is falling! The Coalition is coming! We’re going to tell the people!”

Ducky Lucky, “Oh dear, oh dear! We’d better run!”

So they all ran down the road to Chinatown, as fast as they could. Soon they met Goosey Loosey walking down the roadside.

Goosey Loosey, “Hello there. Where are you all going in such a hurry?”

Chicken Little, “We’re running for our electoral lives!”

Henny Penny, “The sky is falling!”

Ducky Lucky, “And the Coalition is coming!”

Goosey Loosey, “Goodness! Then I’d better run with you.”

And they all ran in great fright across the country, spreading the rumour. Before long they met Turkey Lurkey strutting back and forth.

Turkey Lurkey, “Hello there, Chicken Little, Henny Penny, Ducky Lucky, and Goosey Loosey. Where are you all going in such a hurry?”

Chicken Little, “Big trouble!”

Henny Penny, “We’re running for our electoral lives!”

Ducky Lucky, “The sky is falling!”

Goosey Loosey, “The Coalition is coming!”

Turkey Lurkey, “Oh dear! I always suspected they would be coming someday. I’d better run with you.”

So they ran with all their might, until they reach the Voting Booth.

Chicken Little pointed at the booth, and told his followers, “Go quick, vote now, a majority.”

Then Chicken Little took off his costume, and revealed himself: Foxy Loxy.

(Through Rose-Coloured Glasses)

6. Contempt       an Act of Arrogance

Definition of Contempt

1. Contempt of Parliament , a Canadian first
2. With shrug of shoulders: Win some, lose some (a revealing utterance)
3. Train staff and ministers to hide information, evade questioning, and doctor documents

Origin of Contempt

Ruling by Speaker Peter Milliken, that the government has scorned Parliament, and shown a lack of respect to the people entrusted by Canadians to represent their interests, in refusing a committee’s request for detailed information on the costs of federal law-and-order legislation. Mr. Milliken’s ruling that the government “on its face” breached parliamentary privilege will now give rise to a vote on contempt.

7. Redaction       a Political Game

Definition of Redaction

1. Strokes of black magic marker
2. Political game of Hide and Seek
3. With-hold of information
4. Cover-up of information

Origin of Redaction

In March 2010, opposition MPs have accused the Conservative government of showing contempt for the authority of Parliament with its tabling of about 2,500 pages of heavily redacted documents related to the Afghan detainee controversy.

8. ^NOT       a Doctoring Tool

Definition of ^NOT

1. A new Conservative invention/intervention tool.
2. Simpler tool than the black marker
3. A negation to be inserted after document already signed
4. An untraceable act (no ‘initial here’ necessary if done by the government)

Origin of ^NOT

International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda rose in the House of Commons Monday to admit that it was on her order that the word “not” was inserted in a memo drafted by senior public servants recommending she approve new funding for the church-backed aid group Kairos.

9. “Win Some, Lose Some”       an Act of Arrogance

Definition of “Win Some, Lose Some”

1. WSLS, an abbreviation for “Arrogance”
2. Big deal, my way or the highway
3. Must be the work of the coalition
4. It’s just a political game

Origin of “Win Some, Lose Some”

House Speaker Peter Milliken ruled Wednesday there’s a case against the government for breach of privilege after it refused to hand over detailed cost estimates of its anti-crime agenda.

He also found a minister may have misled MPs, and the opposition was right to keep pursuing the issue. Both rulings reasserted Parliament’s authority in being able to call for documents and other information MPs feel they need to do their jobs.

“We have debates in Parliament all the time,” Harper said in Toronto. “The Speaker rules. You win some, you lose some.”

10. G8/G20       an Extravagance

Definition of G8/G20

1. $1.1-billion extravagance
2. Man made crisis
3. Avoidable situation simply by choosing a different location
4. Questionable decision
5. Police state

Origin of G8/G20

The 2010 G-8 took place in Huntsville, without trouble; but the G-20 summit was moved to downtown Toronto, with easy traffic access and vulnerable businesses and store-fronts. Definitely was a magnet to attract mass protests and open season for violent demonstrations. Beg for the question of WHY. Probably to justify showing off to the world, our enormously powerful police force, recruited all over Canada, to exert brutal suppressions and arrests, needlessly costing Canadian taxpayers $1.1 billion dollars and also the creation of a Police State

(Through Rose-Coloured Glasses)

1. UN Snub a Disgrace

Definition of UN Snub

1. Lose Face in the world
2. Misfortune bestowed upon oneself due to errant foreign policies

Origin of UN Snub

Canada lost the seat of the UN Security Council to Portugal under the Harper government

2. Minority as Majority an Act of Arrogance

Definition of Minority as Majority

1. Rule ruthlessly and un-democratically
2. My way or the highway

Origin of Minority as majority

During the last Parliament, Harper used all sort of tricks to stay in power, although only a minority government; basically he was making use of the weakness of the opposition parties

3. Coalition a Dirty Word

Definition of Coalition

1. A four letter word in the Harper lingo
2. Scare tactics frequently used in this election to divert attention from real issues
3. Allowable only if it is led by Harper et al

Origin of Coalition

Combine force of the opposition parties to fight Harper government that led to the prorogation of Parliament for 3 long months

4. Prorogation a Game Plan

Definition of Prorogation

1. When things are rough, time out or chicken out
2. Retreat and regroup
3. No fly zone
4. Hold your horses
5. Gone skiing, close for business, back in 3 months

Origin of Prorogation

Opposition parties finally united together that forced the Harper government to retreat to lick its wound and suspend parliament for 3 months

5. In and Out a Lucrative Trick

Definition of In and Out

1. Creative accounting of the Conservative election monetary finance
2. Money laundering
3. Quick money scheme
4. Abracadabra

Origin of In and Out

Four senior Tories were charged by Elections Canada with “willfully” exceeding spending limits in 2006, by depositing fund to individual Conservative candidate and re-deposited the fund back to the Conservative Party

(Through Rose-Coloured Glasses)

No thanks to Harper, the dream of us immigrants is still well and alive.

“Yes we can”, with these words Obama became the president of the United States, and showed the world, yes a black man can be the leader of a powerful nation.

But here in Canada, can we duplicate such a dream, a dream for us immigrants and our children.

“Yes we can”, but with many obstacles.

Ignatieff, leader of the opposition, came from an immigrant family. His father arrived from Russia and worked very hard, from scratch, to build a new life for his family. Now his son is the honourable leader of the opposition. This story should be an inspiring example for us all.

But what happened when Ignatieff tried to point this out, he was brutally attacked by his opponents, that his father was elite from Russia, not a poor peasant. As if we immigrants, when we came here, should be illiterate; should only be qualified to build the railroad, to work in mines and laundries and as cheap labour, but cannot be educated professionals, as many of us modern day Chinese Canadians (especially our readers here). This is the mentality that belongs to the 19th century, and quite a shock, coming from the governing party.

After so arrogantly stamped on, our dream and the dream for our children, this is a wake-up call.

A dream come true required hard work, understanding and patience. Now this election is a chance for us to show our colour.

Yes We Can!


Here is a more in-depth article on the same theme:

Are Ignatieff’s family ties a help or a hindrance?

(Through Rose-Coloured Glasses)

Yes, Prime Minister, we are ready, ready for that darn election.

Sex sells. Believe it or NOT, this Water Flirtation (oops, Filtration) Scandal is a godsend. This is just what we need, to stir up some interest. Nowadays, scandals are popular and with headline drawing power, not necessarily bad publicity. Look at Charlie Sheen, appearing on TV every day. People are lining up to pay a hundred bucks for a ticket to hear his incoherent psychotic rambling about violent winning (of what I do not know). His rating is up, higher than his ranting.

Now we have a romance between our own top ex-advisor, an influential and powerful 66 year elder, and his fiancée, a 22 years old ex-escort. Such Ottawa fairy tale should definitely draw attention, with someone knowledgeable enough to know how to peddle and what strings to pull in our government; and the benefit of rejuvenation while working for us (without Viagra).

BTW, I advise to recruit Charlie to assist in our upcoming campaign, isn’t his father the President in the West Wing. This may come handy someday. He is also an excellent example of winning, by losing (his job, his wife, his children, and his mind, to name a few)

Wars, violence, these are our drawing cards too. People love violence. Look at those brain-dead NHL officials, they strongly believe, their league will not survive without bodychecks and concussions. They want to educate little kids to start bodychecking as soon as they can skate, to protect them, they reason.

Further, sending the jet fighters to Libya is a move of genius. This makes you an instant war-time Prime Minister and a war-time hero. Then you may be able to hold on office just to do your job.

At home, people love a good fight too. Personal attack ads are brilliant. Look, Iggy is upset and fighting back. We must be doing something right, hitting his nerve, and below his belt. We should hit harder with both fists. Now we have covered his patriotism, his elitism, his family, what’s next?

Oh, the Commons committee has just found us, the Harper government, in contempt of Parliament, and breaking the rules of government. Well, big deal, you win some, you lose some. We have trained our bureaucratic staff and ministers well; they can expertly hide information, evade questioning, doctor documents and even creatively financing all our elections. What else can you ask for!?

Business as usual.

Ready, set, go.

(Through Rose-Coloured Glasses)

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says Canadian jets will enforce our resolution calling for a no-fly zone over Parliament to prevent further bloodshed and demand a ceasefire in our war-torn parliament.

“The situation in Parliament remains intolerable,” he told a news conference in Ottawa Friday.

“The people of Canada have shown through their sacrifices that they believe (in democracy). Helping ourselves (to the gravy train?) is a moral obligation for all of us who profess to support that great ideal.”

Harper said even though it appears the opposition is not prepared to honour a ceasefire, Harper said CF-18 jets will join RCMP and other allies in the Harper regime to make sure there are no further massacres.

“Canadian armed with forces will enforce this resolution,” Harper said, adding that he was encouraged by recent reports of a ceasefire.

“However, in order for that threat of intervention to remain credible, adequate political forces must be in place. We will therefore move forward with our deployment, we are calling in the RCMP, and once again, prorogue parliament” he told reporters in the foyer of the House of Commons.

Harper said he will be consulting his party faithful next week in order to seek approval to extend the deployment beyond three months if necessary.

Since the conflict Canada has evacuated Canadian citizens from Parliament Hill, put in place sanctions and called on the regime to stop the war on its own people and step down.

(Believe it or NOT, boldly and political incorrectly redacted from the original:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/956141–canada-will-enforce-un-no-fly-zone )

A dose of satire needed to ease the tension at home and worldwide 🙂

(Through Rose-Coloured Glasses)

I turned my head. I stared away from the TV screen.

OMG, Charlie Sheen was swinging a machete above his head.

I can’t take it anymore.

It is no longer funny, nor entertaining.

It is as clear as crystal, this is a tragedy in the making, and outrageously revolting too.

It is like watching a car crashing, in slow motion.

It is like watching a house on fire, covering our mouths with our hands, and gasped, with an occasional outburst of the shooting flame, before the house is completely burnt down.

This is purely a reality show, a horrendous human reality.

A human being is on skid-row, a very sick person indeed. Every day, he is revealing a bit more of himself, in front of the camera, to the whole world, his sickness, his mental state. And we are enjoying this, taking in every minute of it, as entertainment.

As his father Martin Sheen said, this is a disease, like cancer. But this is curable, or at least controllable, if he seeks medical help now.

This brings back memory, like I am back to my medical student day, as an intern, interviewing patient, conducting a bedside diagnosis, tried to ask the right questions. And then sat back, let the patient ranted out his story, revealing all his symptoms, his delusions, his manic state of mind, with his rambling, incoherent speech. Sitting there, collecting data, and compared them to my knowledge base, gained from the medical textbooks.

Agitation – checked, irritation – checked, inflated self-esteem – checked, hyperactivity/restlessness – checked, increase energy – checked, lack of self-control – checked, racing thoughts – checked, poor temper control – checked, reckless behavior- checked, easily distracted – checked …………

Diagnosis: Bipolar Affective Disorder – manic-depression

Unfortunately, he needs medical attention and intervention, not more media attention and fame.

But on the other hand, will he agree to any treatment?

Even if he agrees to intervention, will he keep on taking his medication?

Such patients are notorious for stopping medication as soon as they feel better.

Treatment, off treatment, treatment again …….., these become a tug-of-war, usually to their bitter and sorry end.

A sad tale, but true.

(Through Rose-Coloured Glasses)

King Gadhafi

“Muammar Gaddafi is the leader of the revolution, I am not a president to step down … I have nowhere to resign from.”

“I have not yet ordered the use of force, not yet ordered one bullet to be fired … when I do, everything will burn.”

“Al Qaeda’s cells attacked security forces and took over their weapons,” he said, adding: “How did that all begin? Small, sleeper al Qaeda cells.”

“Come out of your homes, those who love Muammar Gaddafi. Women, men, girls, boys, those who side with Muammar Gaddafi and the revolution.… As from tomorrow, no, as from tonight, actually, people in Libyan cities and towns … chase [the protesters], arrest them, hand them over to the security [forces].”

“No sound person has taken part in these actions, they are all children.… Take your children back. They are drugging your children. They are making your children drunk and they’re sending them to hell. Your children will die.”

“Their ages are 17. They give them pills at night, they put hallucinatory pills in their drinks, their milk, their coffee, their Nescafe.”

“I am like the Queen of England.”

“I am much bigger than any rank, for those who are talking about rank, I am a fighter.”

King Charlie

“I’ve got magic. I’ve got poetry in my fingertips. Most of the time — and this includes naps — I’m an F-18, bro. And I will destroy you in the air. I will deploy my ordnance to the ground.”

“I’m gonna hang on to them, and they’re going to fuel my attack. And they’re going to fuel the battle cry of my deadly and dangerous and secret and silent soldiers. Because they’re all around you.”

In his interviews with ABC’s Good Morning America and NBC’s Today show, he boasted about his “epic” partying, said he’s fuelled by “violent hatred” of his bosses, claimed to have kicked drugs at home in his “Sober Valley Lodge” and demanded $3 million an episode to return to work.

“What’s not to love?” he said on ABC. “Especially when you see how I party. It was epic. The run I was on made Sinatra, Flynn, Jagger, Richards just look like droopy-eyed armless children.”

“I’m supposed to be out there all humble and asking for my job,” Sheen said during an interview at his home with Mike Walters and streamed live Monday on TMZ.com. “No, I don’t do that. I don’t understand what I did wrong except live a life that everyone is jealous of.”

‘I’m tired of pretending I’m not special. I’m tired of pretending I’m not a total bitchin’ rock star from Mars.’

Sheen said that he’s bored now with cocaine. But he said he “exposed people to magic” when they partied with him and that he loved doing drugs.

“I am on a drug,” Sheen said. “It’s called Charlie Sheen. It’s not available because if you try it you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body.”

King Rob Ford

“Stop the gravy train.”

“Change starts at the top,” Ford told reporters Monday. “I’m asking for all the citizens that sat on the board to resign immediately. The seven civilians should do the right thing and tender their resignation.”

“I can only ask [them to resign]; I can’t force them. … I have to get new people in there, and I’m going through council,” he said, adding that he’s optimistic he’d succeed. “I can’t see any councillor defending these expenditures. It’s absolutely ridiculous.”

The next day, TCHC citizen board members resign en masse.

Seeking government money, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said he’s “absolutely” ready to play hardball with a provincial government reluctant to agree to his request for $150-million this year. And in a talk radio interview Wednesday morning he threatened to ensure the Liberals don’t get back into office at Queen’s Park following this fall’s election.

“I haven’t talked to [Premier Dalton McGuinty] face to face about that request of $150-million. And if he says ‘No,’ obviously there’s a provincial election coming up,” Mr. Ford told Newstalk1010. “I want to work with him, not against him. But obviously if he’s not helping out the city, I’m going to have no choice but to work against him. I don’t want to do that.”

“If I need help from the province then I’ll ask for their help. And if they choose not to help us, then I have no other choice but to get out, as I call it, ‘Ford Nation’ and make sure they’re not re-elected in the next election.”

King Stephen

“Attack! ”

“Michael Ignatieff: He didn’t come back for you.”

“Good dog.”

“Not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not, …………………”

“The King has spoken, now you can all leave!”

[News Brief] It happened recently, in an event hosted by the Indian High Commission, to launch “The Year of India in Canada.”

Stephen Harper and Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff were both there to give speeches.

Harper delivered a short address, but before Ignatieff got his turn at the podium, a P-M-O staffer hustled all the attending reporters and camera crews out of the building.