When I first learned that Stephen Harper had hired Ari Fleischer (we are paying his salary), I was stunned. Fleischer was the man who tried to sell the Iraq War to the American public and helped steal the 2000 election for George W. Bush. What did the Conservatives want with him? I can only imagine.But if that move made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, another more ominous hiring will be sure to put me on Prozac, and keep me there for the rest of my natural life.
I'm referring to Jason Kenney's new aid, Alykhan Velshi. Though born and raised in Toronto, Velshi is not a 'real' Canadian by Conservative standards, because he has spent most of his working career in the U.S.
This former member of the Bush Administration, first peaked my interest when I learned that he was outside the Ruby Dhalla hearing, handing out 'secret evidence' to the media. Then I Googled him and frankly wish I hadn't.
It's all starting to add up though. After reading some of Jason Kenney's interviews and listening to his taped responses to immigration policies, I've come to the conclusion that he simply is not very bright, and it takes a certain amount of intellect to be really evil.
He is merely a puppet, with men like John Hagee, Charles McVety and Alykhan Velshi , pulling the strings. It's no wonder Kenney is downright giddy these days. These men are making him look smart and ruthless, instead of just stupid and mean. How else could we explain the actions of a man who looks like Fred Flinstone, talks like Barney Rubble and thinks like Dino the Dinosaur? He's being coached.
According to his bio, Alykhan Velshi; the new Director of Communications and Parliamentary Affairs for Jason Kenney, was a foreign policy analyst at the neoconservative American Enterprise Institute and manager of research at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, where he co-founded the Center for Law and Counterterrorism with Andrew C. McCarthy.
Sounds impressive, right? Well let's break it down.
The American Enterprise Institute is a neo-conservative think tank that was one of the leading architects of the second Bush administration's public policy. More than twenty AEI alumni and visiting scholars and fellows served either in a Bush administration policy post or on one of the government's many panels and commissions. Mr. Velshi's colleagues at AEI include, Paul Wolfowitz, one of the engineers of the Iraq War; and Lynne Cheney, wife of former Vice President Dick Cheney. Enough said.
Foundation for the Defense of Democracies is another neoconservative think tank that claims to conduct "research and education on international terrorism. From Source Watch:
In early 2001, a tightly knit group of billionaire philanthropists conceived of a plan to win American sympathy for Israel's response to the Palestinian intifada. They believed that the Palestinian cause was finding too much support within crucial segments of the American public, particularly within the media and on college campuses, so they set up an organization, Emet: An Educational Initiative, Inc., to offer Israel the kind of PR that the Israeli government seemed unable to provide itself.
At first, Emet floundered, without an executive director or a well-defined mission. But that changed after Sept. 11, and Emet changed too, into what is now the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. The name is different, but the goal of influencing America's opinion-forming classes remains.
What makes all of this possible is the support the foundation receives from its billionaire backers. Its nearly $3 million annual budget comes from 27 major donors, most of whom are members of "the Study Group"--also sometimes called the "Mega Group" because of their sizable contributions--a semi-formal organization of major Jewish philanthropists who meet twice a year to discuss joint projects.
Center For Law and Counterterrorism with Andrew C. McCarthy - This group is currently under investigation, but Andrew McCarthy makes Rush Limbaugh seem like a moderate. They
They found an eager mouthpiece with this Conservative MP.
At a rally in Calgary on April 3, 2003:
Calgary Southeast MP Jason Kenney echoed his Canadian Alliance party's view that Canada should do more to support its Anglosphere allies."In the last couple of weeks, for the first time I was not proud to be a Canadian... not proud of what Jean Chretien did to undo 130 years of Canadian history," he said. "Jean Chretien, has no right to undermine the history, the tradition of our country. We have to let our allies know that even though Ottawa doesn't support them, we as citizens do."
I think it's Kenney who forgot that Canada stayed out of the Vietnam War and welcomed draft dodgers. So much for tradition.
An interesting choice of term though for a multiculturalsim minister to use: 'Anglosphere'. I looked it up and according to the dictionary: The word Anglosphere refers to the totality of anglophone (English-speaking)... Was this another little stab at Chretien and French-Canadians?
I mentioned in another post that Jason seems to be emulating Conrad Black, by throwing in big words, often out of context. Black can pull it off but Kenney can't. It's like hearing Daffy Duck try to explain the theory of relativity. It just makes me laugh.
Kenney's buddy Velshi also loves the convicted criminal Conrad Black. He once stated: - "The trial by attrition of Conrad Black has exposed the dark underbelly of the legal system, where the government can ruin a man, take his property, his means of livelihood and make him a social pariah -- all without the hassle of securing a conviction. An iconoclastic mentality has emerged in the legal system that is focused less on securing justice than on bringing down the high and mighty while pandering to the politics of envy."- Alykhan Velshi, New English Review
Kenney sure keeps some good company and taxpayers are footing the bill.
More Postings on Stephen Harper and George Bush:
1. Why Did Taxpayers Fund a Bush/Harper Reunion?
2. Roots of Reform: Tristan Emmanuel and Canadians For George Bush
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