Lessons we can learn on tokenism from HBO's The Wire

If you are a fan common sense, or if you watched the under-rated HBO series The Wire, then you will understand why these token showings of police force against the drug trade do nothing more than temporarily disrupt street level activity without addressing any of the systemic issues that put the street-level dealers there in the first place. Not only that, street-level buy/busts do not target the higher level dealers. We lock up the street dealers, while the lieutenants who put them on the street in the first place just go and find more fodder. These 76 people will be replaced in short order.

Rant, rant, rant....

Remember - Gay tourism doesn't count

"The pro-life and the pro-family community should know and understand that the tourism funding money that went to the gay pride parade in Toronto was not government policy, was not supported by – I think it's safe to say by a large majority – of the MPs," - Brad Trost, MP Saskatoon-Humboldt

Recorded for posterity. I just want that comment to stand on its own legs. No further comment is necessary.

SCC: Religion no justification for denying medical aid to minor

No matter what anyone says about the freedom of religion, this is the correct ruling. The dogmatic constraints of a religion should not stand in the way of a 14 year old youth receiving life-saving medical care. I suggest you go check out the actual ruling. It provides a lot more context to this story.

Score one for the courts and secular medicine for protecting the life of this young girl from religious dogma so she could challenge the law in the first place.

Random History #1

Chrysippus, a Greek stoic philosopher, is believed to have died of laughter after watching his drunk donkey attempt to eat figs.

This is how I want to die.

Tories bemoan a sober second look at their crime legislation

I have said that I often only blog when something I stumble across is so stupid that withholding comment would serve only to enable. Case and point: Our resident joke of a Justice Minister Rob Nicholson is crying foul that the Senate isn't rubberstamping the use of mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes.

This is not a new game for the Tories. They pulled the same stunt in support of their Omnibus Crime Bill in 2008, when Dion folded like a napkin and ordered the Senate to pass unconstitutional legislation to avoid an election (which I have ranted about previously.)

Conservatives seem to forget that the Senate is designed to act as sober second thought in defense of the House passing unconstitutional or suspect legislation. But the Conservatives seem to be confused about the Senate on a number of things, including whether they believe using it as a partisan dumping heap is party policy or not.

In the end, Senate Opposition Leader James Cowan has it dead on when he states:

“They want to appear to be tough on crime. If they were really serious about this, they would have introduced these bills at the beginning of the session and processed them through the House and gotten them to us before the end of the session.”

Bingo. There are a number of problems with this bill, not the least of which is the fact the government never produced ANY evidence supporting the use of mandatory minimum sentences. Now is a better time than ever for some sober second thought.

The Earth orbits the Sun, Pierre Poilievre is ignorant, and other truths

I have a few things to say regarding Pierre Poilievre calling the carbon tax Ignatieff's "tar baby."

For reference, here is the full quote:

Mr. Pierre Poilievre (Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, CPC): Mr. Speaker, on this side of the House, we have a leader, a real Canadian leader.

On that side of the House, they have the man who fathered the carbon tax, put it up for adoption to his predecessor and now wants a paternity test to prove the tar baby was never his in the first place. He attacks the deficit that he voted for but wants billions more for a 45-day work year.

On this side of the House, we stand for lower taxes, strong economic action plan, getting the job done for Canadians. That is where we stand. That is our leader.

I'm going to come out and say that the collective outrage over the statement is misplaced. I have been guilty in the past of calling someone "racist," and "bigot" by taking a comment out of context. I think that the calls of "racist" in this instance are similarly misguided. Here are two scenarios:

Was Poilievre using "tar baby" in reference to:

1) The carbon tax as a policy quagmire that Ignatieff is stuck in.

or

2) The carbon tax as Ignatieff's illegitimate black child.

If you read the comment in context, he is clearly using tar baby in a non-racial fashion. Does it show a marked level of ignorance surrounding race relations and the cultural connotation of the term? Certainly. But don't forget, this is a guy with little to no social or cultural awareness in general.

For example, he went off on a rant about residential school settlements mere hours before our Prime Minister gave a formal apology for the abuse suffered at the schools. He has a woefully limited understanding of the workings of our parliamentary democracy, as demonstrated during the coalition crisis. He swears and makes crude gestures in the House of Commons. This is a mere highlight reel. He has made a career in Ottawa out of being a complete ignoramus.

Getting mad at Pierre Poilievre for being a socially inept pile of garbage is like getting mad at an infant when they shit themselves. He can't help it, he's like an outrage vampire... His stomach was making the rumblies, that only liberal outrage will satisfy.

Girl Talk

I have clearly been neglecting my (already poorly read) blog. So instead of providing new and novel content that will attract more readers, I will post a video of one of my favourite DJs. Anyone who can mashup Metallica and Lil Mama and make it sound good deserves mad respect.

Milk - the worlds worst gateway drug

Watch this clip to the end. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) nukes the Gateway Theory with a milk analogy.

The reaction

The reaction (from the punditry) has been far from positive. I wondered earlier how the CPC attack ads would play amongst the masses, while it is still too early to tell the long-term effects of these ads, the initial results don't look good.

CPC talking points Wiki-leaked

I'm at work right now but I really want to spread this around as much as possible:

Shamelessly reproduced in its entirety (because it made me belly laugh)... Via Jeff Jedras over at A BCer in TO:

---------------

It's a break-week coming-up for Parliament, which means Members of Parliament will be going back to their constituencies and fanning-out across the country. They'll be talking to ordinary folks, taking the pulse of the nation, and all that good stuff.

And if they're Conservative, they'll be regurgitating carefully scripted talking-points on a variety of topics, from swine flu to what an evil guy Michael Ignatieff is, and how he parked his car in the Harvard Yard and what not.

Luckily, however, someone in the Conservative camp has leaked the entire talking-points package and posted it to Wiki-leaks. Feel free to download a copy, and then watch for speaking opportunities next week by your nearest Conservative MP. Follow along as he dutifully recites his pre-programmed opinions. Report any deviations to Doug Finley. And, for fun, shout out the next line before they have a chance to say it.

The content is, shall we say, quite the interesting work of fiction. My favourite part though was this:

Thank you for that warm greeting.I always enjoy being back in [Community].

It made the Simpsons nerd in me smile:

"This morning we were driving down route... 401! And we thought they knew how to rock in Shelbyville... but nobody rocks like -- [consults note taped to back of guitar] -- Springfield!"

Good night, Springton. There will be no encores!

Pearl Jammin'

Because I'm tired, bored, and burned out, screw politics for tonight... Here's some Pearl Jam.

Ignatieff dismisses Tory attack ads

OTTAWA -- New Conservative attack ads that shine a spotlight on Michael Ignatieff's 34 years outside Canada were dismissed as a "diversionary tactic" by the Liberal leader yesterday.

"On a day when we've got record bankruptcies, we've got unemployment skyrocketing, all this government can think of doing is running attack ads on me," Ignatieff said.

"This is the old style of politics. We're in the middle of a serious economic crisis. This government needs to grow up and do its job properly."

No, Mr. Ignatieff, you'll have to do better than that. Dion dismissed attacks. Kerry dismissed attacks. You have to respond, or you will be defined by your opponents. Take a lesson from Barack Obama's recent campaign and vigorously respond to the attacks.

But how to respond? Counter-attack ads? Press conference? Obviously they don't want to promote the attacks, but I think now is the time for the Liberals to highlight what Michael Ignatieff was doing while he was outside Canada. He has one impressive CV... Highlight his world experience as an asset to be Prime Minister, not a detriment. This can be easily spun, if the Liberals respond and stay on message. That was their biggest failing in "responding" to the Dion smear; nobody could respond in a coherent way, and the smears went all but unanswered in the all-important court of public opinion.

I think the Liberals can easily deflect this assault, mainly because the CPC telegraphed their punch so far in advance the Liberals have had time to brace and plan a counter. I'm curious to see how these attacks will play amongst the masses.

The Australian Heroin Diaries

I discovered a new blog on drug policy that I would like to share with everyone. The Australian Heroin Diaries. I got tuned into this blog via my Google Alert for "harm reduction." It is the blog of an Australian heroin addict analyzing drug policy from a South Pacific perspective. Here's the author's bio:

Terry Wright
Australia

I am a heroin addict. I am not homeless nor do I live in a crowded junkie house. I dwell in suburbia with my partner, two fluffy dogs and a cat. I have a mortgage, a car and go grocery shopping on Friday nights.

I don't break into houses or sell drugs to survive but rather I design computer information systems. Yes I work and I am considered a professional.

I was on methadone but I am now on slow release oral morphine which usually keeps me from using heroin. I don't smoke grass and rarely drink. I don't gamble, commit adultery or break the law (well most laws)... but I sometimes resort to heroin.

This site is dedicated to recognising heroin addiction as a complex medical issue and the need for a scientific heroin trial in Australia. It also aims to highlight the carnage caused by inappropriate drug policies and the ulterior agendas of the people who support them.

Many of the recent posts surround Indonesia and its repressive policies towards drugs, hitting on Australia's lack of support for its citizens caught in the crossfire of the War on Drugs. Here's an exerpt:

Indonesia is currently at a crossroads with its domestic drug policy. With parliament having resumed following the legislative elections on 9 April 2009, soon the newly-elected People’s Representative Council will recommence deliberating an amendment to the National Narcotics Law. This amendment was first submitted for consideration in 2005 by the Department of Law and Human Rights. Groups such as the ICDPR initially thought that this amendment would follow global trends by softening the ‘war on drugs’ ideology and shifting toward a more humane approach toward drug users. In actual fact, if this amendment is passed the situation for drug users and the state of human rights in Indonesia will almost certainly become worse.

Ending the criminalisation of drug use is the linchpin of the ICDPR’s alternative approach to drug policy in Indonesia. To ICDPR members’ dismay, neither decriminalisation nor a raft of other crucial reforms were addressed in the proposed amendment to the Narcotics Law. If anything, this amendment will upgrade the criminal status of drug users and equip police with new powers to deal with them.

Currently, a user can be legally detained for a maximum 24 hours, whereas the amendment will extend that detention to 72 hours. This not only increases the likelihood and opportunity for abuse to occur, it also throws potentially vulnerable addicts into an already overcrowded prison system rife with drug abuse, HIV/AIDS and violence.

Enjoy!

A quick thought

If they hadn't gotten so upset over how the Liberals "undemocratically" selected their leader, we wouldn't find so much humour in how the Conservatives undemocratically select their candidates.

Crashing the Liberal convention

Pictures at the end of the post... More pictures and videos to come!

During our protest, we decided to crash the Liberal convention to see what was going on. It just so happens that we walked in as Michael Ignatieff was set to make his big entrance. He was waiting outside with his wife behind a small throng of YLC members holding signs. We walked up to him, and shook his hand, gave him some anti-Bill C-15 material and invited him to an after party. Wouldn't you know it, he didn't show up (sarcasm). Missed the picture by mere seconds as he was whisked away in his entrance. There is a good picture of my back though... Curse my slow digital camera!

What happened next was interesting to say the least... Obviously slightly frustrated that interlopers made it past security and right up to the Liberal leader, the convention staff and police attempted to evict us from the convention grounds. We left the convention building without incident, but argued that the convention grounds were public property, and that they had no right to evict us. We ended up staying, handing out material to people leaving the convention mere feet from the police who had attempted to evict us moments before. It was a lot of fun, let me tell you!

I will upload youtube video as soon as I get some time, which may not be until Monday, but the conversations were heated. A convention staffer threatened to smash my camera (I got him saying it on film), and there were some police officers asking us to leave the grounds. There was also a conversation with a Seargent who didn't want to talk on camera, but I got a bit of it. As an aside, there was a random James Curran sighting (on film... kinda), which pretty cool.

All in all, it was a great day (besides the turnout from the Canucks game). More pictures, video, and explanation will be coming in the next few days, but for now it is time to hit the hay.

[EDIT]

I had to... Here's some pictures:

Reminder: Liberal convention protest @ 2:30pm TODAY

In Vancouver?

Oppose the War on Drugs?

Come down to Convention Centre West @ 2:30pm TODAY to protest the Liberal party's support of Bill C-15 - Imposing mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses.