Harper's Arrogance is Mind Boggling as He Tries to Quiet Public Dissent

After making Canada a laughing stock at Copenhagen, Prentice and Harper reported the website that spoofed them, as a phishing site, or one that is attempting to hijack personal information.

These are very serious charges and of course, completely false.

But since it escalated the issue, the internet provider immediately shut it down, along with 4500 other sites that shared the IP address.

The hoax attracted considerable media attention, prompting Prime Minister's Office spokesman Dimitri Soudas to label it a childish prank. Soon after, Canadian officials quietly set out to shut down the two websites. What followed creates a cause for concern, because Environment Canada appears to have misrepresented the harms posed by the sites in an effort to force them offline without a court order.

Phishing operators move quickly, seeking to grab as much data as they can before authorities move to shut them down. The practice raises serious identity theft concerns, leading host ISPs to shut down alleged sites without waiting for a court order. While this helps limit potential harm, the Canadian government has become the poster child for how the system can be abused.

We have also now learned that Harper has quietly prevented MPs from receiving emails from the Canadian public if they voice their displeasure about his shutting down Parliament. In fact, they are now being filtered.

If they contain the words 'prorogue', 'proroguing' or 'prorogation', the MPs simple receive a message that they were 'spam' and have been removed. Since when are the concerns of their constituents 'spam'? We are the ones paying their salaries.

The site Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament now has 185,033 members and are encouraging Canadians to email their Members of Parliament. Isn't this what you are supposed to do in a democracy? But if the dictator isn't allowing them to receive the emails, what is this telling you? We no longer have a democracy?

So if you want to email your MP - do not use any 'p' words, or they just get dumped.

And if you thought Harper ruled his caucus with an iron fist, John Ivison at the National Post claims he now has them all in a choke hold.

Stephen Harper has been accused of “totalitarian rule” by one of the academics leading the charge against his decision to suspend Parliament.

But the reality is perhaps closer to the absolutism of Louis XIV of France — the Sun King, who famously said: “I am the state.” The academic Donald Savoie has long noted the development of court government in Canada, where power rests with the Prime Minister and a small group of carefully selected courtiers. But even Mr. Savoie would be shocked at the extent to which Mr. Harper now controls every aspect of government, as revealed in secret mandate letters the Prime Minister has sent to all his ministers.

One such mandate letter suggests that the short leash on which he has always kept his ministers has been tightened to choking point in recent weeks. Each letter has a detailed list of priorities on which the Prime Minister expects to see results. There is next to no leeway for ministers to promote projects they may feel are deserving of the government’s attention.

Each member of Cabinet was told not to bother bringing forward any unfunded proposals to Cabinet committees without receiving the Prime Minister’s prior approval ...

Welcome to democracy Harper style!