PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE FOLKS. READ THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Catch 22 Harper Conservatives have been working like hell for over a year. A boots on the ground labour of love, to save Canadian democracy.

This is what they are saying today:

Strategic voting urgently needed to stop NDP, Liberal vote split

Stephen Harper’s Conservatives are still within reach of winning a majority government. Catch 22's research shows that the most dangerous factor that could help the Conservatives is the possible collapse of the Liberal vote in several key ridings.

While the New Democrats may clinch second place in the election, a continuation in the rise of NDP popularity in key ridings, that the Liberals have been expected to win, would open the door for the Conservatives to come up the middle and take enough seats to win a slim majority in Parliament.

Catch 22 strategist Nick Fillmore says that “voters must keep their eye on the prize on Monday and not lose sight of doing what it takes to make sure that Harper does not win a majority. It’s crucial that the Liberal vote hold in many ridings.”

Harper’s Conservatives moved up in the polls again and are within range of a majority government. The Conservatives were standing at 38 per cent in the polls as of today, reports the Nanos polling firm. In 1997, Jean Chretien and the Liberals won a majority government with only 37 per cent of the popular vote.

Nanos had the NDP well back of the Tories at 29.6 per cent and the Liberals at 23.3 per cent.

“Catch 22 does not favor any one party over another,” said Catch 22 coordinator Gary Shaul. “We are heartened to see that the NDP will likely defeat most, if not all of the Conservatives in the seventeen ridings we’ve identified as a strategic vote for the NDP. But it’s very clear that to stop a Harper majority, voters need to go out and support the Liberals in those ridings where Catch 22 is recommending the Liberals have the best chance of defeating the Conservatives.

“In all of these recommended ridings, the NDP has very little chance of catching the Conservative candidates, but NDP votes in these ridings on Monday could be a big spoiler.”

Political scientist Alvin Finkel has a warning: “While I am as excited as anyone about the NDP surge, it is clear from the polls that the chances of Canadians electing a majority of Harper Conservatives with about 38 percent of the vote remains high.”

“If Harper has a majority, it won't matter much which party forms the official opposition. We'll see a rightward shift in Canadian federal policy of the kind that Britain experienced under Margaret Thatcher and from which it has never recovered, regardless of which party has formed government,” said Finkel, from the Centre for State and Legal Studies at Athabaska University in Alberta.

Catch 22 is recommending that voters support Liberal candidates in 35 ridings. Please see our list of recommended ridings below.

It doesn't matter who heads the opposition so long as we have enough progressive seats to beat Harper. But with pollsters telling us to ignore the polls, yet at the same time telling us the results of the election before we even cast our ballots, voters are in turmoil.

I liked it better when Canadian law forbid polls to be printed in the last three days of the election campaign. They appear to be an attempt to get us to vote a certain way, rather than a prediction of how we vote.

We could end up with a Harper majority if we don't pay attention here.

The ABSOLUTE END OF CANADA AS WE KNOW IT!

That bastard will have won. Think John Baird and Pierre Polievre. Jim Flaherty and worse yet Stephen Harper. STEPHEN HARPER AS KING OF CANADA.

Think twice, vote once, and listen to Catch 22. The pollsters are ignorant asses.

Meet Some of the People Who Want Harper Gone

There were perhaps a hundred protesters greeting Harper in Kingston on Friday. We were loud and animated.

There were songs and little skits. Some university students had written a rap that they shared. There were drums and music. It was wonderful.

Kathleen O'Hara from Catch 22 Harper Conservatives had a mike and listed off one by one, Harper's crimes. Not even covering a fraction of them.

In the above photo you'll see students with guess what "we're voting", standing with seniors. All with the same goal. Ousting Stephen Harper.



And he was given a similar welcome in Montreal, though a bit more militant.

The Toronto Star is endorsing strategic voting:

In some parts of the country there is a real risk that a surge toward the NDP could sap the Liberal vote and have the perverse effect of tipping more seats to the Conservatives. Voters worried about that should consider voting strategically — giving their support to the progressive candidate best placed to win.

In much of the GTA, that means Liberals. Indeed, there are a number of seats that Liberals won by a narrow margin over Conservatives in 2008. The Liberal candidates in those ridings deserve support. They include Ruby Dhalla in Brampton-Springdale; Andrew Kania in Brampton West; Rob Oliphant in Don Valley West; Joe Volpe in Eglinton-Lawrence; Paul Szabo in Mississauga South; and Ken Dryden in York Centre.

Going for the NDP in those ridings risks handing more seats to the Conservatives. That would be the worst outcome for the province — and the country.

And another "vote mob" from Ryerson voiced their discontent.

I'll bet right now Stephen Harper wishes he'd been nice to the rest of us, and not just played to his base.

Catch 22 Harper Conservatives Making the News

Despite everything we see in the polls, whether real or imagined, the feelings on the ground haven't changed. Canadians want Harper out.

The greeting widens tired eyes outside the Lawrence West subway station in the middle of a rainy weekday morning commute. “Hi, we’re trying to stop Stephen Harper,” says a cheery middle-aged man wearing a rain jacket and a yellow “Vote for democracy — not Harper” T-shirt.

Armed with a handful of soggy pamphlets flapping in the wind, Nick Fillmore, of the Catch 22 campaign, is trying to convince centre-left voters to help thwart the Harper government’s quest for a majority by voting strategically against the Conservative Party. “I plan on it, don’t worry,” says one man on his way into the station.

Another resident, miffed, pushes the pamphlet away. “No, I’m not voting for Harper,” she blasts, having mistaken Fillmore for a Tory supporter. He chuckles and tries a new line. “Hi, we’re campaigning against Stephen Harper,”

I get the same thing in my community. Few discuss who they're voting for, but most suggest it won't be Harper.

That sentiment hasn't really changed, though there is now some confusion, with the latest poll results, real or fabricated.

It's funny, I emailed Frank Graves when he was predicting 108 NDP seats, about half coming from Quebec. I wanted to know what ridings he felt the NDP could take from the Bloc, given that many of their candidates are only "paper" entries. The NDP office told Le Devoir that they only have about six ridings with fully functioning campaign offices.

And his response was odd. He said that they didn't do that, focus on ridings, only that when the "wave" hit, local campaigns wouldn't matter. When the "wave hit"? I thought it already hit. Aren't they all talking about an NDP "surge"? Do we now have to wait for a "wave"?

This election, local campaigns very much do matter, especially in vote rich Quebec and Ontario. And Catch 22 have provided a list of those they're targeting in the coveted GTA:

Catch 22 recommendations

Conservative-held ridings

Riding Endorsing Incumbent

Mississauga—Erindale Omar Alghabra (Lib) Bob Dechert

Oak Ridges—Markham Lui Temelkovski (Lib) Paul Calandra

Oakville Max Khan (Lib)Terence Young

Oshawa Chris Buckley (NDP)Collin Carrie

Thornhill Karen Mock (Lib)Peter Kent

Vaughan Mario Ferri (Lib)Julian Fantino

Opposition-held ridings

Riding Endorsing Incumbent

Ajax—Pickering Mark Holland (Lib)Mark Holland (Lib)

Brampton—Springdale Ruby Dhalla (Lib)Ruby Dhalla (Lib)

Brampton West Andrew Kania (Lib)Andrew Kania (Lib)

Don Valley West Rob Oliphant (Lib)Rob Oliphant (Lib)

Eglinton—Lawrence Joseph Volpe (Lib) Joseph Volpe (Lib)

Mississauga South Paul Szabo (Lib) Paul Szabo (Lib)

Welland Malcolm Allen (NDP) Malcolm Allen (NDP)

York Centre Ken Dryden (Lib) Ken Dryden (Lib)

They currently have a fundraising drive on so if you can help them out at all, please do. They have been working tirelessly for over a year. Real boots to the ground activism.

A Tale of Two Elections

It was the best of times,
it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom,
it was the age of foolishness,
it was the epoch of belief,
it was the epoch of incredulity,
it was the season of Light,
it was the season of Darkness,
it was the spring of hope,
it was the winter of despair,

This election campaign has been one of the most bizarre on record, with incredible displays of democracy, and just as incredible displays of attacks on democracy.

We've witnessed hopefulness with unprecedented engagement, especially of youth, and if the polls are correct (which I severely doubt) an unprecedented display of apathy toward serious charges of Contempt of Parliament.

We've seen campaign signs having cross hairs drawn on a candidate's face and a nation rallying with support to replace the vandalized signs.

In another community where tires were slashed on cars parked at houses with Liberal signs, the candidate told those with signs to remove them for their own safety. Yet despite that many have instead opted to simply bring them in at night.

In London, Ontario, NDP candidate Ryan Dolby pulled out of the race to help his Liberal opponent, saying that the area needed a progressive MP and he didn't want to split the vote. It doesn't get anymore selfless than that.

Yet at the same time, Stephen Harper is telling the media that he will not cooperate if fails to win a majority. It will be the same contempt that has defined his career.

So divided is the spin from reality, that it appears as though there are two separate elections, held in two different countries.

The Conservative Party has been running one of the most undemocratic campaigns in history. Stephen Harper limits questions to five and even then only answers the ones he's comfortable with. His rallies are invitation only and his stump speeches delivered against a backdrop of human props. Some in costume.

His candidates are told to avoid debates and escape the media whenever possible.

They are breaking rules, breaking the peace and even breaking the law.

We have a group of self proclaimed gun nuts plotting the demise of an MP who has devoted much of his time and energy to criminal justice. A Tea Party style attack on Planned Parenthood and an aide discussed on tape, who may have taken kickbacks for government favours.

Yet we are graced day in and day out, with the same phony smile on the same arrogant face, of a man who has been the most unCanadian prime minister in our history, standing behind a sign that reads 'Here for Canada'.



Yet with all of the disparaging headlines and misleading polls, there is a large progressive grassroots movement to replace this government. And it is a movement that did not spring up overnight, but has been working behind the scenes to inform and encourage for over a year. From strategic voting to simply getting out the vote, these people get no money for what they do, and yet they still do it.

Stop the split
Leadnow.ca
Canadians Rallying to Unseat Stephen Harper
Catch 22 Harper Conservatives
To name just a few.

With daily headlines that appear aimed to discourage, why have they not given up? Because they still believe they can win.

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." Charles Dickens, Tale of Two Cities

Canada as a Military Aggressor: Are we Really Prepared for This?

Stephen Harper never liked that Canada was the country that gave the world the Peacekeepers.

He refused to accept that we were a soft power, but was determined to make Canada a nation of warriors.

Following in the footsteps of George Bush, and in fact aping most of Bush's rhetoric, including "cut and run", he made his first foreign visit, a trip to Afghanistan, and one of his first official photo-ops was similar to Bush's with a military plane.



A New Direction for Afghanistan

Though the U.S. led invasion of Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, Canadian troops did not begin arriving until January of the following year. Then prime minister Jean Chretien, assigned our units to a safer mission, in an attempt to keep them out of harms way, as much as possible.

Then in 2005, General Rick Hillier showed up on the doorstep of a new prime minister Paul Martin, armed with maps and big dreams, claiming that the military were not public servants but that "their job was to kill people".

It was the Martin government that appointed Hillier chief of defence staff and began pumping large amounts of new money into military spending. Soon after his appointment, Hillier began pressuring Martin to agree to U.S. requests to increase and intensify Canadian involvement in the Afghan war. Martin was initially hesitant, but agreed to the deeper commitment in Afghanistan, only after extracting from Hillier a promise that the Canadian military would also have sufficient troops available to participate in vital UN peacekeeping missions. (1)

And according to Stephen Maher in the Chronicle Herald: "In December of 2005, while Canada was in the middle of the election campaign that brought Stephen Harper to power, then-Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier signed a deal establishing our detainee transfer protocol — an arrangement that did not provide for Canadians to monitor their prisoners."

In 2006 Stephen Harper became prime minister, and told Hillier to forget about Peacekeeping. We were warriors. As a result, Canada, the country that created the peacekeepers, now ranks 66th in Peacekeeping efforts. And remember, Peacekeeping isn't about handing out milk and cookies. It is a system that combines combat and diplomacy to reach and protect the world's most vulnerable.

In fact, what Harper did was to move our troops to the most dangerous places in the war, to prove how macho he was. On June 3, 2008; Canada's then Ambassador to Afghanistan, Arif Lalani, was interviewed on a U.S. radio program via telephone. What the morning talk show host, Renee Montagne, wanted to know was why Canada was suffering a disproportionate number of losses in the war. The highest ratio of all NATO forces.

Whenever you hear that a NATO soldier has been killed in the Taliban heartland of Kandahar, it's probably a Canadian soldier. Canada only has 2,500 troops in Afghanistan but they are fighting in one of the most dangerous regions of the country. So while Canadian troops make up only a small fraction of NATO forces, they've suffered the highest number of fatalities proportionately.

Selling a War

Wars have always been a time of propaganda and PR, but the first attempt, at least in modern times, to completely control the message and engineer the selling of war by a government, took place under Dick Cheney when he was Defense Secretary for George Bush Sr. Journalist Arthur Kent*, then with NBC, discusses this in his 1996 book Risk and Redemption.

With everyone from the Joint Chiefs to the lowliest janitor at the Pentagon warning that the American press had to be kept "on side" for this one, and not allowed to repeat the tough coverage of the Vietnam War, Defense Secretary Dick Cheney presided over the most restrictive set of controls ever clamped upon U.S. reporters in time of war. Cheney had a small army of capable public-affairs officers to operate this censorship regime, and as the system took shape in the autumn of '91 there was an astonishing lack of resistance from the chiefs of the big U.S. TV networks, newspapers and wire services. Despite warnings from their correspondents in the field, too many top executives allowed themselves to be smooth-talked and co-opted into believing that the Pentagon would act honourably if and when the whistle blew for total war. The result: coverage packaged by U.S. military authorities. (2)

Stephen Harper also tightly controls the messaging for this war, in what one NATO official described as a 6,000 mile screwdriver. Embedded journalists homogenize the mission, being sure not to report on the civilian casualties, including many children. Canada is also the only country without an independent media there.

But Harper also adopted something else from Dick Cheney. The use of Hill and Knowlton and their Yellow Ribbon campaign. Harper's first defense minister was Gordon O'Connor, a man who had come right from H&K where he lobbied for military contracts, to a position where he determined who actually got military contracts.

And the rehash of the yellow ribbon campaign was brilliant strategy. We no longer questioned what we doing in Afghanistan. We just supported the troops.

Why is This Important?

In his new book, Rogue in Power, Christian Nadeau outlines how Stephen Harper is attempting to recreate Canada in his image of a powerful and warring nation. Not at all who we are.

From its former status as a peacekeeper, Canada has taken on the aura of a militar?istic country, even though it lacks the means. As Louise Arbour, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, noted in an October 2009 speech at the Universite de Montreal, our country has switched from a preventive logic, with a major role in UN peacekeeping missions, to a warrior logic, turned increasingly towards NATO. (3)

Canada has already lost its moral voice in the world.

It was learned in November that DND was recruting soldiers on soft porn sites:

In advertising its recruitment drive to 18-to-34-year-olds, DND received quite a few hits from a placement on hollywoodtuna.com, a tamer site featuring Britney Spears’ “Nasty Panty Flash,” Blake Lively’s “Kinda See Through” dress and photos of Rihanna suggestively touching herself. DND also bought keyword search terms for their online advertisement, including “James bond girls,” “poor man’s James bond” and “can t find a jobs.”

Is this the best place to recruit our soldiers?

We are becoming increasingly isolated, as evidenced by our loss of the UN Security Council Seat.

Is this really how we view our country?

Imagine if you will for a moment, Stephen Harper returning to power after the upcoming election. The voices of those who oppose his style of government will be silenced for a very long time. It won't matter if he only has a minority, Parliament will be rendered nonfunctional. Harper controls the Senate, who have been putting a stop to any bills he doesn't like.

We saw this with both the Climate Change and generic drugs for Africa, passed by our ELECTED representatives, but rubber stamped DENIED by unelected political operatives.

The Opposition will be impotent, because they wouldn't dare force another election, no matter what he did.

This is not about simply denying him a majority. He's had one for five years. It's about not giving him a mandate, and every effort must be made to ensure that happens.

It's up to us to get everyone we know to vote. Arrange rides if you have to, anything short of kidnapping. And make sure that everyone votes smart. Catch 22 Harper Conservatives are promoting strategic voting and can provide a lot of useful information to be sure that our votes count.

This is not a time for partisan chest thumping, because the outcome on May 2, will set the course for this country. We can continue on the one set by Harper, or that desired by most Canadians.

Footnotes:

*Arthur Kent is the younger brother of Conservative MP Peter Kent. He has been openly critical of the Harper government.

Sources:

1. HOLDING THE BULLY'S COAT, Canada and the U.S. Empire, Linda McQuaig, Doubleday Canada, ISBN 978-0-385-66012-9, pg. 73-74

2. Risk and Redemption: Surviving the Network News Wars. By Arthur kent, Viking Press, 2006, Isbn: 0-670-86672-5, Pg. 135.

3. Rogue in Power: Why Stephen Harper is remaking Canada by Stealth, By Christian Nadeau, Lorimer Press, ISBN: 978-1-55277-730-5, Pg. 130

I Love the New Student Voting Website But There is a Problem With Compass Link

I love the new student campaign, encouraging young people to vote. It's the only way that they will get things on the table that matter to them.

There is only one problem with their video I posted yesterday. They are telling students to use the Compass survey to determine who they should be voting for.

I went to that site and all of my answers were Liberal giving high scores for their policies. Another person posted on Rabble that he did the same thing for NDP. And yet the results for us both, was that we should be voting Green.

I'm not suggesting that the survey is fixed. Far from it. I'm only suggesting that it might be flawed.

So instead of relying solely on Compass, they should also read the parties platforms before marking their 'X'.

There is also a group promoting strategic voting, which may be the most important campaign of all, because this means 'seats' not just votes. Catch 22 Harper Conservatives.

And for political engagement and activism, there is also:

leadnow.ca
coffeeparty.ca
Canadians Rallying to Unseat Stephen Harper
unseatharper.ca

Want Some Cool Stuff For Your Campaigns and Rallies?

UnseatHarper has some really great items for your local campaigns and rallies. T-shirts, lawn signs, bumber stickers. You name it, they've got it. Be sure to check them out.

And you can download free flyers here.

How Do We Turn Down the Volume on the Right-Wing Noise Machine?

Last night my husband and I went out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary. At a nearby table a customer was discussing the upcoming election, clearly upset that the Opposition had "rejected the budget", seeing it as a "power grab".

My initial knee-jerk reaction was dismay that they had missed the enormity of what had taken place yesterday. The Contempt of Parliament charge is the first in the history of the British Parliamentary system.

It had nothing to do with the budget or grabbing power, and everything to do with stopping a man who believes that he is above the law, and not only has contempt of, but contempt for, our time-honoured traditions, and the people we elect to represent us.

In his brief statement, made after the historic vote, Stephen Harper claimed that the opposition should be focusing on the economy, not an election, but how can they focus on the economy, when he refused to provide the cost of bills he's trying to get passed?

His appearance was only to provide talking points for the right-wing noise machine. And our waitress didn't disappoint. Her parting shot to the misguided couple - "I know. And what's he going to do if he doesn't win .... go back to Harvard?"

What does that mean exactly? The fact that Michael Ignatieff has an opportunity to return to teaching at Harvard, is a bad thing? And why not Oxford or Cambridge, where he also taught?

And what will Stephen Harper do if he loses, or fails to get a majority? Go back to the corporate sponsored Astro-Turf National Citizens Coalition? If your best argument is that the leader of the official opposition may return to teaching at Ivy League universities, then it's time to rethink your arguments.

The sad thing is, however, that the media will also use the same banal talking points. During the Coalition Crisis, few thought to investigate whether or not the accusations of a coalition being "illegal" or "dangerous" were accurate. And fewer still reminded Canadians that Stephen Harper himself had engineered a Coalition in 2004, to take down Paul Martin at the Throne Speech. I'm glad some are now producing the letter of intent, to neutralize another Conservative talking point: "The Michael Ignatieff led coalition".

That was a very sad time in our history, because it exposed our ignorance of how our country is supposed to be governed. Instead Jack Layton, Stéphane Dion and Gilles Duceppe, were dubbed the "Three Stooges" by the mainstream press, and reduced to "bumbling" status.

Jack Layton has a PhD in political science and an amazing team. Libby Davies, Pat Martin, Charlie Angus and Paul Dewar, to name just a few. None "hapless" or "ignorant" or "dangerous".

Stéphane Dion is a brilliant academic who wrote the 'Clarity Act' and proved his leadership skills when he stood his ground at an International summit to pass the Kyoto Accord. The Conservatives were able to paint him as ignorant, by capitalizing on his difficulty with the English language. But he is not "hapless" or "ignorant" or "dangerous", either. In fact many Quebecers claim that Dion's English was no worse than Harper's French.

And Gilles Duceppe, was never part of the Coalition in 2008 (though a full partner in Harper's in 2004). He only agreed to support it for 18 months on confidence issues. I have so much respect for Mr. Duceppe. A true progressive with a poet's soul. And yes, he's a separatist, but so was Stephen Harper, when he wanted Alberta to go it alone. And *Stockwell Days' father was actually a candidate for the Western Canada Concept Party, who were also separatists.

But once your name gets fed into the right-wing noise machine, it gets spit out as garbly-goop.

The author of the book shown above, David Cameron, knows a thing or two about the right-wing media and noise machines.

He was once editor of the American Spectator magazine, and responsible for fabricating one scandal after another, to support the Right's attempt to have former President Bill Clinton impeached. Financed by the Federalist Society and the Council for National Policy, Cameron would later come clean about his own involvement in the ungrounded assault.

For a bit of trivia, it was at the CNP annual conference in 1997, where they passed the motion to throw all of their resources behind having Clinton impeached. And it was at this same conference, where Stephen Harper gave his 'I really hate Canadians' speech, saying that their "conservative movement, is a light and an inspiration to people in this country and across the world."

And in another bit of trivia, not that either of these things would ever find their way onto a Canadian trivia show; one of the people responsible for the Clinton fiasco, was the late Paul Weyrich.

Weyrich was once the Godfather of the American Religious Right, but he was also instrumental in helping to get Stephen Harper elected in 2006, when he advised his "flock" not to talk to the Canadian media, who were curious about our fallen PM's involvement in their movement .

So how do we turn off, or turn down, the right-wing noise machine, that is clearly deafening society to the erosion of their democracy?

Cameron started an organization called Media Matters in America, where he exposes the lies and half-truths, of many headline grabbing news stories.

In Canada, we have many concerned citizen movements including UnseatHarper/Defend Democracy, that I am proud to write for. Canadians Rallying to Unseat Stephen Harper, Catch 22 Harper Conservatives, leadnow.ca, CoffeeParty.ca ....

And collectively our voices will be used to drown out the noise.

Can you hear it?

The grinding and clunk of the right-wing noise machine as its motor burns out, replaced with the melody of millions of small voices speaking up for democracy.

Music to my ears.

Footnotes:

* Stockwell Day, Sr., was long associated with the Social Credit Party of Canada. In the 1972 federal election he was the Social Credit candidate running against New Democratic Party leader Tommy Douglas in the riding of Nanaimo—Cowichan—The Islands. Day, Sr., supported Doug Christie and was a member of the Western Canada Concept.

Why Tilly O'Neill Gordon Must be Removed

I get so angry with the partisan nonsense of the Conservatives, wasting time in the House of Commons with their little skits, but Tilly O'Neill Gordon has just got on my last nerve.

I can't take it anymore.

It's one thing to be part of a government that has gone out of it's way to trash women's rights and sell us off piece by piece to the United States, while handing over the reins of power to the corporate sector.

But for her to stand up and lie and lie and lie. How stupid does she think we are?

We need a government that listens to experts, not read scripts inked by the boys in the backroom. Her riding of Miramachi is one that Catch 22 Harper Conservatives are going after. I'm going to help them out. I'm familiar with the area and my dad worked in the lumber camps there before going off to war. They are now suffering through unemployment rates of between 18-25%.

They need and deserve someone better than this woman.

We Are Losing Our Democracy While the Middle East is Earning Theirs

Both in Canada and the U.S., many journalists and talk show hosts are praising the actions of Egypt, while wondering what happened to our own democracies.

Egyptians risked their lives to overthrow a ruthless and corrupt government, and we can't even get off the couch to cast our ballot. We should be ashamed.

But for those not inspired in North America, across the Middle East and Africa, there has been a domino affect. According to the Toronto Star: Citizens, ex-soldiers, labourers protest across Arab world

They list the countries currently uprising, and there's a common theme. Income disparity and police brutality. I kept rereading the names, because they could have been about Canada.

Libya: "Egypt-inspired unrest spread against Libya’s longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi on Wednesday, with riot police clashing with protesters"

Canada: Protesters clash with riot police

Yemen: "... sent 2,000 policemen into the streets of the capital on Wednesday to try to put down days of protests against the president of 32 years"

Canada: Toronto Police Attack Peaceful Protesters and Journalists at G20 Protests

South Africa: "Police fired rubber bullets Wednesday to disperse protesters in a third day of demonstrations in the eastern town of Ermelo"

Canada: G20 TORONTO: POLICE FIRE RUBBER BULLETS AT CIVILIANS, POLICE DENY IT

And all of this started as a result of social media.

Over the last year, many have questioned just how important social media are in helping activists achieve social change. Writer Malcolm Gladwell wrote a famous essay in The New Yorker entitled “Small change: Why the Revolution Won’t be Tweeted.” He argued that social networks only create weak ties between people, but that it’s strong ties and close relationships that bring about real social change.

The topic has been widely debated, and then reality stepped in: If Twitter, Facebook and YouTube didn’t exist, Hosni Mubarak would still be president of Egypt. The social media tools gave Mubarak’s opponents unprecedented ability to share information and organize their activities, including the massive protests which riveted the world’s attention.

Pollsters in Canada didn't think social media had an impact but we proved them wrong during the anti-prorogation rallies. And cell phone images, videos and tweets revealed the police brutality at the G-20 in Toronto. Mainstream media had better get with the program or they are going to lose their voice in the same way that we once lost our voice. No one will be listening.

But they are sure listening now.

According to ABC News: Social Media Fuels Protests in Iran, Bahrain and Yemen

I cancelled my local paper (Sun Media) and rarely watch Canadian news shows (about 2 minutes a month is all I can handle). Too much spin and too little substance.

Pundits, Polls and Protests. How the Media Has it so Wrong

I've posted often about the illegitimacy of polls that attempt to predict the results of a mythical election. Most are spun and contrived and at the end of the day, mean very little until the writ is dropped and the campaigning begins.

I read the book, The Newsmongers: How the Media Distort the Political News, By Mary Anne Comber and Robert S. Mayne, and though written in 1986, before the rightward migration of our press, there are many observations that still apply today.

And the course that was written of twenty-five years ago, may have reached the end, with polling firms becoming obsolete. Because their "results" fail to capture the public mood.

Stephen Harper has many unresolved issues and while he has been able to put them on the back burner, focusing on his re-election by spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on self-promotion ads, the big issues are still with us. He has managed to duck everyone of these, by avoiding the media and thereby avoiding us. But we will raise them during the campaign.

At or near the top of the list are the two prorogations for his personal benefit. One to avoid a coalition takeover and the other to avoid having to answer questions as to what he knew and when, about torture in Afghanistan.

Another is the attacks on peaceful protesters and journalists during the G-20 weekend in Toronto. He was behind the decision to hold it there, and it was he who gave out a massive contract to a foreign company to handle security.

Then of course there are all of the little things, that are far from little. The purchase of fighter jets deemed unfit by every other country but Canada and Israel. The corporate tax cuts despite the fact that an overwhelming majority of Canadians are opposed to them. The waste of tax dollars on signs and TV spots. Billions for prison expansion when our crime rate is the lowest in our history. The hostile takeovers of arms length agencies. Fox News North. Avoiding the media and thereby avoiding us.

The list goes on.

There is an excellent indepth piece in the Winnipeg Free Press: Pollsters advise voters to be wary of polls ahead of possible spring vote

Canada's notoriously competitive pollsters have some surprisingly uniform advice about the parade of confusing and conflicting numbers they're about to toss at voters ahead of a possible spring election: Take political horse race polls with a small boulder of salt.

"Pay attention if you want to but, frankly, they don't really mean anything," sums up Andre Turcotte, a pollster and communications professor at Carleton University. He has even more pointed advice for news organizations that breathlessly report minor fluctuations in polling numbers: "You should really consider what is the basis for your addiction and maybe enter a ten-step program."

Have you been reading Eric Grenier's nonsense? It's like watching an episode of the Keystone Cops. His meanderings tickle the funny bone, just before you roll your eyes in disbelief. Poor boy. He does try, though his bias is overwhelming.

Social media is where it's at now. The right-wing media and the high priced pollsters have spun themselves out. We no longer listen to them, but instead listen to us.

Psssst! You Wanna' Come For Coffee? No I Mean It

There was an excellent piece in the Globe promoting a grassroots movement in Canada: The Coffee Party.

The outcry over last year’s prorogation of Parliament was one indication that Canadians are not complacent about democracy. Another more recent example is the apparent ability of Democracy Watch, an independent group that lobbies for more transparent and representative government, to spark interest in its so-called Coffee Party.

Democracy Watch said Friday that, in the first week since its CoffeeParty.ca website went live, it has received more than 85,000 hits from people across Canada.

I remember the protests over prorogation. They were exhilarating. Pundits and pollsters are ignoring this, but the power of social media will give us our country back.

The Corporate Welfare State has all the money but the Social Welfare State has all the people. We will win. And to remind you of what we are fighting for:

Elizabeth May to Speak at Canadians Advocating Political Participation

When Stephen Harper took his 2 1/2 month prorogue vacation, on the advice of his doctor, Guy Giorno, it set off a firestorm of protest, triggered in large part by Christopher White and Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament.

From that core group there were several spin-offs, including: Canadians Rallying to Unseat Stephen Harper (part of Unseat Harper) and Catch 22 Harper Conservatives.

But another group is becoming very important, since they are working to get people engaged in the political process: Canadians Advocating Political Participation. Apathy favours the incumbent and dirty politics, like constant attack ads, help to create apathy.

So it's great news that Elizabeth May will be speaking at CAPP. She is brilliant and I'm really pushing for her to beat out the hapless Gary Lunn.

She needs to be in Parliament. It's that simple.

So if you live in the Toronto area, be sure to check it out.

Holy Crap. I've Never Seen Such Convoluted Nonsense in My Life. Thank You Tim Uppal

There has been a growing concern and anger over the abuse of mail outs, especially ten percenters by Members of Parliament.

I don't know if this was a problem before the Reform-Conservatives took power or not, but I had never received any before this year.

I live in the Liberal riding of Peter Milliken and he certainly never sent out any of this nonsense.

However, since the Conservatives are targeting this riding for Brian Abrams, I've had nine; each one more ridiculous than the last.

However, I must admit that this one by MP Tim Uppal takes the cake. It wasn't sent to me but a blogger in his riding, who claims to be getting these things on a weekly basis.

A Karl Rove tactic is to use key words. Things that will grab the attention of the reader and plant seeds of ideas. Also name association goes along with that. I remember another one with a question that went something like 'Do you support a Michael Ignatieff coalition with the NDP and Separatists'. Aligning 'Ignatieff' with 'coalition' and 'separatists', was more important than any answer to the question.

Logically the question should have referred to Ignatieff/Layon/Duceppe or Liberal/NDP/Bloc. But these aren't about logic.

If the Party was paying for this I wouldn't care what they asked. They go in the recycle bin anyway. But taxpayers are footing the bill for these, and it's got to stop.

And since I helped to pay for this one, I'm allowed to critique my purchase.

Full size for the face of this is here.

Right off the bat, I have issue with the headline 'Separatists Want to Legalize Euthanasia'. Why is this a separatist issue? Is there some kind of suggestion that they are trying to kill off the rest of us? As silly as that sounds, you have to wonder. Remember the old Reformers back in the day were involved with APEC, and harboured some animosity toward Quebec.

It's called playing to your base.

It certainly worked during the Parliamentary crisis of 2008, when Harper pulled out the 'separatist' nonsense to save his job.

The rest just provides the reader with the feelings of Mr. Uppal toward the issue, and though he had a misprint calling it Bill C-484 and not C-384, it was no big deal. He also asks his constituents whether or not he should support the bill. Fair enough. However, it's pretty clear that he had already made up his mind.

Then we go to the back, the full size of which is here.

WOW!

1. Do you believe all life is sacred and should be cherished?

It would be pretty hard to answer no to that, though I suppose if this was a question about the death penalty, some people might feel inclined to answer 'no'. Kind of a silly question, but I'll bite and answer 'yes'.

2. Do you agree that it is not the government's place to support ending life?

Very leading question. On the front he asked for input, but he's clearly providing the answer here. However, since the government can send us to war, and former General Rick Hillier claimed it was our military's job to "kill people" I'm not sure what he's looking for.

Although support ending life could also be an abortion issue, so I suppose I'll have to abstain.

3. Should a physician be forced to perform procedures against his belief?

Again, this sounds more like the abortion debate. Maurice Vellacott has used this approach, as have several others. I briefly read through the bill, and could not find anywhere suggesting that physicians would be forced to euthanize. It only stipulates that a physician must perform the procedure, meaning not your mailman. I also take issue with the use of 'his' when referring to the doctor. SB 'his' or 'her'.

That might sound picky but if we're planting seeds here ....

4. Is the government within it's rights to stop someone from committing suicide?

Boy, you're putting quite a burden on the government. Anyone is within their rights and duty bound to stop a suicide. We don't expect our government to run around policing everyone. But we're discussing euthanasia for terminally ill patients who are in severe pain.

I thought it was quite noble of Steven Fletcher to write an op-ed piece on the subject, and he brought up some very valid points. As someone who was on the brink of death, he knows what the tipping point can be. He abstained from the vote.

And yes life should always be the first choice, but if you've ever seen the suffering of a cancer patient, prolonging their life is often just cruel and selfish.

A topic this important cannot be thrown together on a mail out and expect a valid response. This was clearly just another Karl Rove push poll, aimed to score points, and not seek opinion.

In defense of Mr. Uppal, I have been keeping a record of these, and his is not the worst. I may even put them together in a book. They are not only a waste of our money, but they are an insult to our intelligence.

Stephen Woodworth Must Be Replaced as Member of Parliament for Kitchener Centre

Stephen Woodworth is the Reform-Conservative MP for Kitchener Centre.

He is a social conservative, anti-abortion and anti-equal marriage. According to campaign Life, he has been circulating a petition to end a woman's right to choose.

He refused to back Libby Davies' motion for a National Housing Strategy and threw his support behind Tim Hudak for leader of the neoconservative Ontario party.

He also referred to the climate change protesters as thugs. Quite a peach, huh?

Woodworth beat incumbent Karen Redman by just 339 votes last election, so clearly vote splitting and apathy paid an huge part. We have to make sure this doesn't happen next election.

Karen Redman will be running again and since strategically she will be the best option to take out Woodworth, I'm throwing my efforts into promoting her.

You can visit Karen's Website here. Her Facebook Page is here.

If you live in Kitchener Centre, here's what you can do:

1. Join the Liberal Party. It's only about $10.00 and is a great way to show your support. They will keep you up to date with what's happening in the community and on the federal scene.

2. If you are able to find a bit of time, volunteer; perhaps with canvassing or some other promotions.

3. If you can afford it at all, donate a bit now and then. I'm set up to contribute a regular monthly donation, but it's whatever you feel comfortable with. Remember that the Conservatives have a lot of wealthy backers and it takes money to launch a campaign.

4. Join Catch 22 Harper Conservatives to learn more tips, and encourage others to join. The Catch 22 page for Stephen Woodworth is here.

5. Join Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament. There are more than 30,000 links to stories with reasons to vote the Reform-Conservatives out. The better informed you are the more motivated you will be.

6. Join Canadians Rallying to Unseat Stephen Harper - a group working to get rid of the Harper government once and for all.

I'll keep this page updated as often as possible and will continue to provide more reasons why Stephen Woodworth and these destructive Reformers have got to go.

More Postings on Stephen Woodworth

Stephen Woodworth Uses Conservative-Speak to Try to Defend Prorogation. Allow me to Translate

Pro-Sex Feminists and a Feminized Curriculum are to Blame for Everything

Stephen Woodworth Uses Conservative-Speak to Try to Defend Prorogation. Allow me to Translate

Stephen Woodworth is the temporary Member of Parliament for Kitchener Centre.

And when I say temporary, I mean that he is one of the MPs that Catch 22 Harper Conservatives will be targeting for the next election, as part of taking our country back.

These Reformers have made a complete mess of things and after reading how Woodworth tried to defend his 2 1/2 month, taxpayer funded vacation, it's pretty clear, that he needs to go.

Despite the fact that his party tried to claim that no one cared, obviously people in Kitchener Centre cared enough that their MP felt the need to write a letter to the editor to answer questions.

He chose four, and I will translate his answers for you, since they are written in some kind of Orwellian doublespeak.

1. Question: “Why should members of Parliament sit around doing nothing for an extra 22 sitting days from Jan. 25 to March 3?”

His Answer: During prorogation, members are not on vacation. Quite the contrary. Time in the riding is my opportunity to meet constituents who need assistance. I also attend community events and meet with groups. My advocacy for, and communications with, constituents continues whether I am in Ottawa or Kitchener.

Real Answer: It was important to eliminate those 22 days because if Parliament was sitting they would never have approved of a Buy America/Sell Canada plan that is one of the worst trade deals since the history of trade deals. Harper also made our health services part of NAFTA, so they will no longer be sustainable.

And with Parliament sitting they would have had 22 days to make sure that memos regarding the Afghan Detainee issue would have been presented to Parliament. 22 days to help restore Canada's honour, because this cowardly act means that our soldiers will wear this, despite the fact that it was our own government who made the decisions.

So Stephen I don't care if you spent the entire 2 1/2 months filling every bloody pothole in the city. Stephen Harper was wrong and if you support this than you are just as guilty. Doesn't Kitchener Centre deserve an MP who will stand up for Canadians, not sit down for the Conservative Party of Canada?

2. Question: “Will prorogation mean that work done on all the bills introduced in the last session will be lost?”

His Answer: This is a good question. However, of 63 government bills introduced in the House in the last Session, 31 are already law. Seventeen others were only introduced with no further action, 10 were referred to committee, with only five on a committee agenda. The remaining five were at the Senate ... and a whole bunch more malarkey.

Real Answer: The fact is that 37 bills were left on the table and this prorogation will cost taxpayers 55 million dollars.

3. “Isn’t it dictatorial and undemocratic to prorogue Parliament?”

His Answer: Prorogation is a routine, constitutionally-legitimate process. It has occurred 105 times in the last 143 years, an average of once every 16 months. The government has been given the right to set the agenda for the House – for good reasons. Jean Chretien prorogued four times. Pierre Trudeau prorogued 11 times. It’s probably more frequent in minority government .. blah, blah, blah ....

Real Answer - Prorogation itself is as routine as adjourning a meeting. What isn't routine is abuse of prorogation. In fact, an investigation revealed that in the Parliamentary system, and this includes, Australia, Britain, New Zealand, etc. prorogation only took place three times to save a prime ministers butt or avoid answering questions. All three were in Canada, two by Harper.

You didn't do your homework Stephen, and lying to your constituents is not getting you off to a good start.

4. “If Prime Minister Stephen Harper didn’t do this for partisan advantage, why did he do this?”

Another good question. Harper is well known as a leader who carefully considers his decisions. You can be sure that he realized prorogation would create partisan criticism and not any significant partisan benefit. So why did he do it?

I find our prime minister to be exceptionally bright, forward-thinking with clear principles — which balance rights with obligations; which try to find the balance between care and cost ... blah, blah, blah, ... world-wide recession, ... blah, blah, blah, global economic melt-downs ... blah, blah, blah .... Late in 2008 an economic crisis that no one predicted occurred ... blah, blah, blah ... Canada’s Economic Action Plan ... blah, blah, blah ....

The Real Answer - Everyone but Stephen Harper saw the economic crisis coming. And while other countries are protecting their economic future, Stephen Harper and his muse Jim Flaherty, started buying up worthless pieces of paper, known as sub-prime mortgages. The Financial Post recently called Canada the Fanny Mae of the finance world.

And as to that Canada's Economic Action Plan, it was nothing more than a PR stunt. 150 million dollars worth of advertising for the Conservatives, and very little actual work being done. In fact most of the action was putting up over 50 million dollars worth of signs. Only about 13% of the funds can be found and we are still missing two billion dollars from the last time.

IS THIS REALLY YOUR CANADA? IS STEPHEN WOODWORTH REALLY THE BEST CHOICE FOR KITCHENER CENTRE?