Stephen Harper, Adolph Hitler and the Quest for Gold

I don't usually compare Stephen Harper to Adolph Hitler, except in fun; but I'm mad so I will compare him to Genghis Khan if I want to.

The following is an excerpt from Hitler's Ambitious Plans for the 1936 Olympics, By Jeffrey O. Segrave:

The Berlin games, as almost everyone now knows, were also the first to overtly use the Olympic festival for conspicuously and identifiably political purposes, "an obscuring layer of shimmering froth on a noxious wave of destiny," as historian Richard Mandell once called the Berlin ceremonial.

And the Berlin organizers certainly proved to be adept, imaginative, and creative in the use of pageantry and symbols, especially in the service of a distinctly Teutonic agenda that furthered the political ambitions of the insurgent Nazi party. We owe the famed torch relay to the modern German not the ancient Greek imagination.

And in today's Globe:

Halfway through the Winter Olympics and Stephen Harper's Tories are already out with a new video campaign, starring Mike Duffy, pitching pride and patriotism in our athletes and country .... Ms. Greene Raine compares the athletes to “our strong leader,” Mr. Harper, who is in a competition of his own: “With our strong leader Canada will continue to compete with the world’s best,” she says. And Mr. Duffy, who also refers to his colleague as “my Olympic champion,” goes on to say, “We Conservatives are champions in our own right

Nik Nanos, of Nanos Research, says these Games can help bolster the image of a politician. For Canadians to see the Prime Minister at events, cheering on the country’s athletes, provides a platform for him to display a “human face...” As for Mr. Bricker, he says that regardless of how many medals the Canadian team wins, in the end it’s all about hockey. “A true downer would be the men’s hockey team getting less than gold,” he says. And so no matter how proud and patriotic Mike Duffy, Nancy Greene Raine and Stephen Harper want us to feel, they have to know that the only truly good feeling for Canadians is riding on an unpredictable puck.

Wow! Where do I start? Or maybe I should say, don't get me started.

Has everyone gone nuts? A feel good Olympics and a hockey victory will lull us into a trance and make us forget that we have a leader who will not speak to our media; who will not speak to us; who will not address a single issue.

Who hides behind our troops, exploits a crisis for photo-ops and signs a Buy America/Sell Canada trade agreement without input or debate from anyone.

Who thinks it's OK to shut down our Parliament, our only voice to our government since his caucus are all muzzled. Lock out other elected officials for 2 1/2 months, and we will just kiss and make up; if the men's hockey team wins a gold medal.

Is he asking 2/3 of Canadians who oppose his dictatorial style to cheer for the other team, if it's the only way we can get rid of him?

This man is unbelievable.

IS THIS REALLY YOUR CANADA?