Enormous Thriving Plants

Bachmann, Wallace, & FOX NEWS continue to illustrate contemporary conservative "news" expectations.

2011-06-29T08:37:00.001-06:00

Wallace asks the obvious question that's on most rational people's minds:

The aftermath: Wingnuts go apoplectic that Bachmann wasn't given an even gentler soft-ball interview and Wallace ends up having to broadcast an apology.

I've said it here before: The simplistic, binary "If it's not positive propaganda for us, it's biased against us" thinking of today's conservatives might even make Nixon queasy and ashamed.

Sunday Conservapedia*

2011-06-12T08:51:00.000-06:00

^{*Because reality has a "liberal bias"}

Age Of The Earth

"The Age of the Earth has been a matter of interest to humans for millennia, and today still causes debate, particularly between young-Earth scientists, who see much evidence that the Earth is only about 6 thousand or so years old; and liberals, atheists and other misguided individuals who insist that Earth is somehow 4.5 billion years old. "

Gotta love the apparently "conservative" dichotomy between Young-Earth "scientists" and "misguided individuals"!

Saturday Sarah: Revisionist Revere and The Nuclear Threshold.

2011-06-11T08:48:00.001-06:00

Half-term governor turned facebookin' an' tweetin' an' reality teevee-in' star Sarah Palin once again found herself being set up by the "lamestream media" when some reporter asked her (I shit you not) the "gotcha question" of what she learnedhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif during her visit to Paul Revere's house.

What the "librul state-run-media" apparently just does not get is that Palin is so brilliant, she's actually ahead of the curve, understanding history in such rich detail that even wikipedia needs Palin's fans to help revise it to keep up with her unparalleled brilliance.

And in additional you-betcha-darned-tootin' news, I find myself in the uncomfortable position of having been echoed by (of all people) George Will on "Meet The Press" a few weeks ago. I've long pointed to Palin's threat assessment skills (remember when David Letterman constituted a real, physical, pedophilic threat to her daughter?) as one of the reasons why she should be kept as far away as possible from having control of nuclear weapons. Surprise, surprise... even hardcore conservatives like George Will have a difficult time swallowing the idea of Palin being in command of the greatest nuclear arsenal on the planet:

Freeper Friday*:

2011-06-10T08:57:00.000-06:00

"Behold the next Holocaust brought to you by Obama, Pelsoi, Reid and the DemoRAT party. Their camps will be hospices where you will be remanded to for your “end of life” care courtesy of Big Bro and Big Sis.

Welcome to 1930’s Germany. Obama “shovel ready” jobs will be those that come for you via their Gestapo or union goons to haul you off. Think not? Think Again! Always remember, the political class will ensure that they get the best health care available via We The People’s tax dollars. You, on the other hand, are expendable for the good of the state."

For a group of self-described "rugged individualists", they sure seem quick to collectively head for their fainting couchs.

*Many thanks to the fine conservative commentators over at FreeRepublic.com for providing an never-ending source of entertainment!

'Assholery for me...

2011-06-09T08:51:00.000-06:00

...but not for thee'!

For the record, I'm not a big fan of disrupting parliament with protest signs. In the long run, I think antics like that are counterproductive. That said, it's a long way from malicious defamation.

Long live the conservative aptitude for self-awareness & shamelessness!

"Moran" Monday*: More Pam Geller tea-bagger insanity.

2011-06-06T08:58:00.000-06:00

America's "Muslim Presidency", brought to you by last week's teabagging moran, Pam "Atlas Shrugs" Geller.

*We're devoting space each Monday to documenting Teabagger idiocy. Stay tuned for more head-slappingly idiotic antics from America's incoherent, but conservative fledgling political movement!

Sunday Conservapedia*

2011-06-05T08:52:00.002-06:00

^{*Because reality has a "liberal bias"}

Sudden Jihad Syndrome

"Sudden Jihad Syndrome is a term coined by Daniel Pipes to describe Muslims that suddenly or unexpectedly turn against civilized, Western society and engage in acts of terror. Pipes has argued that due to this phenomenon all Muslims must be considered potential terrorists.

Examples include:
- John Allen Muhammad and Lee Malvo, the so-called Washington snipers. John Allen Muhammad was a Muslim convert, but some people allege that his motivations may not have been religious.
- Ali Hassan Abu Kamal, a Palestinian school teacher who engaged in a shooting rampage on top of the Empire State Building. He killed one and wounded six before taking his own life.
- Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar, an American Muslim born in Tehran who ran over students at the University of North Carolina to punish the United States. Taheri-azar was the first terrorist to be explicitly called an example of Sudden Jihad Syndrome by Daniel Pipes.
- Mujtaba Rabbani Jabbar who shot up a movie theater in Baltimore.
- Rashid Baz, a Lebanese can driver living in New York City who shot at a van full of Orthodox Jews. In a burst of political correctness, the FBI initially refused to label this act a terrorist act.
- Sulejman Talovic, a Bosnian Muslim, opened fire in a Salt Lake City mall, killing five poeple before being shot dead by police.

In another example of bias in Wikipedia, Wikipedia has refused to allow any article on this topic and even refused to let an editor work on a draft for a rewrite of the article."

I think that last line said it all; According to Conservapedia the "bias" that was the foundation for its creation is evidenced by things like Wikipedia's failure to have a "Sudden Jihad Syndrome" entry.

Gotta love the conservative aptitude for self-inflicted injury.

Religious bigotry is just like fighting the Nazis!

2011-06-02T08:55:00.000-06:00

So sayeth conservative televangelist/ fundie wingnut favorite Pat Robertson:

As I've said multiple times before, I think everyone espousing the whole clash-of-civilizations concept should be put on some sort of isolated, rocky island to sort it out for themselves, leaving the rest of us to live free from the violent consequences of their never-ending circle of eliminationist efforts.

Anglican Same-Sex Blessings.

2011-06-01T08:14:00.000-06:00

Anglican churches in Nova Scotia and P.E.I. will now apparently have the individual autonomy to choose to bless same-sex marriages.

A tiny step to be certain, but at least it's one in the right direction.

Twitter Tuesday: Doubling-down on Santorum's "Man-on-dog" slippery slope.

2011-05-31T08:23:00.000-06:00

The blogger previously known as ALL-CAPS SUZANNE FORTIN (but who you cannot refer to by name now, lest she throw a twitter tantrum over it) has once again unwittingly illustrated the conservative tendency to reject reason and logic as relevant to morals.

Echoing the Catholic Church's ridiculous efforts to blame its problems with abuse on TEH GAYZ, Ms. Fortin brilliantly argues that if one "loses the sense of sin for some sins", that it leads to "losing it for a wider range of sins". She uses this to support her rejection of "tolerance" for homosexuality and abortion.

What SUZY ALL-CAPS doesn't seem to realize is, just like Santorum's infamous man-on-dog slippery slope, this kind of thing shows yet again how many conservatives reject having logic and reason inform their morality in favor of a childish "what does my handbook say" approach to ethics.

The slippery-slope is considered logically fallacious for a reason, and it's been employed by conservatives laughingly throughout history to oppose non-arranged marriages, interfaith marriages and interracial marriages. Of course un-arranged marriages and interracial marriages didn't lead to man-on-dog marriages, as acceptance of homosexuality didn't lead to Catholic authorities sexually abusing children. And yet despite this dismal track record of being on the wrong side of history and enlightenment, conservatives like Suzanne Fortin and Rick Santorum unabashedly trot out the same nonsensical argument to justify their current ethical positions.

Moral frameworks and ethical conclusions that are, by design, uninformed by reason and logic are by definition illogical and irrational. Plato did a good job of pointing out this problem with Divine Command as a ethical framework in his "Euthyphro" dialogue. But one doesn't need to be a consumer of Plato or a student of ethical theory to understand the problem with moral decisions that are insulated from reason and logic. Yet this approach to morality continues to ironically be the basis for conservative ethical position after position.

"Moran" Monday*: Pam Geller just can't let go of birtherism.

2011-05-30T08:05:00.000-06:00

Obama is an illegitimate child, which disqualifies him to be president. Who knew?

...Teabagger brilliance, in all it's rabid, racist, xenophobic glory.

*We're devoting space each Monday to documenting Teabagger idiocy. Stay tuned for more head-slappingly idiotic antics from America's incoherent, but conservative fledgling political movement!

Sunday Conservapedia*

2011-05-29T10:30:00.001-06:00

^{*Because reality has a "liberal bias"}

Sets

"There is the set of unborn children who were aborted, about which striking conclusions can be drawn. Given the large and diverse number of elements of this set, it would likely include many who could surpass existing athletic and intellectual achievements. Indeed, many of the world records and Nobel Prize achievements recognized today would have been outdone by members of this set. "

The "potential people" argument has got to be one of the dumber propositions that the anti-abortion crowd clings to, yet they bring it up with surprising regularity as though they find it some sort of brilliant bit of reasoning. How revealing.

One wonders how many "world records and Nobel Prize achievements recognized today" would have been "outdone by members of the set" of "people" that Andy Schlafly has denied existence to by spending time writing idiotic Conservapedia entries that he could have spent reproducing. Probably none, given the Andy's displayed aptitudes, but the thought exercise is amusing nonetheless.

Saturday Sarah: Palin's making a movie.

2011-05-28T09:17:00.004-06:00

In yet another illustration of extreme conservative self-unawareness, The Quittah From Wasilla is makin' a movie about... herself you betcha darn tootin! What could go wrong, given the incredible success of her self-promotin' outdoor-adventurin' "Sarah Palin's Alaska"?

John Cole at "Balloon Juice" has a thread up documenting some pretty hilarious title suggestions. My fav: "John McCain's A Series of Unfortunate Events". Be sure to also read through the comment thread!

Where's the best place in Saskatoon to enjoy a post-Rapture drink?

2011-05-17T08:45:00.000-06:00

Some conservative religious group from the US is apparently putting up billboards all over (including Saskatoon) proclaiming that the "Rapture" is going to occur on May 21st, removing all of "the saved" from the planet and leaving the rest of us to enjoy the universe fundie-free for 5 months before God finally destroys the earth along with the rest of the universe.

We'll try our best to live-blog the carnage, starting with midnight coverage of the rapture/celebrations.

Small silver-lining for Election 41.

2011-05-16T07:38:00.000-06:00

Sure, Saskatoon-Humbolt was willing to re-elect a radical fundie whose social views are even too extreme for PM Harper to endorse, but at least it said "No Thank you, Pankiw"!

Sunday Conservapedia*

2011-05-15T09:55:00.000-06:00

^{*Because reality has a "liberal bias"}

Conservative Humour and Satire

I really don't think anything additional needs saying.

Election thoughts.

2011-05-03T09:17:00.001-06:00

I haven't yet seen the popular vote counts, but my initial impressions from last night are:

-It is possible to attract progressive voters to the polls.

-It is possible to find success running as the anti-Harper.

-Ignatieff wasn't able to shepherd the left's "herd of cats". Layton now has 4 years to try to do that.

-Much of the disbelief about "the Orange crush" turned out to be wrong. The numbers held.

-Vote splitting still hurts the left and helps the right. Something's got to be done about this or we're going to continue to see Conservative governments.

-Now we're going to see Harper's true colors. Will he be the moderate he and many of his supporters profess him to have become, or will he treat this as a mandate for a hard-right policy push?

I'm happy for Layton and the NDP's success and for what looks like a fade in Quebec separatist sentiment. But I'm also not a partisan, and as such, am disappointed in the Canadian political left being unable to turn a contempt of parliament and Responsible Governance into an issue that Canadians cared enough to whole-scale hold their leaders accountable for.

As Jackson's character in Jurassic Park so wisely put things, "Hold on to yer butts!".

"SUN gives Jack a happy ending"

2011-04-30T19:35:00.002-06:00

The Rev. Paperboy gives the latest bit of election nonsense the best roundup I've read yet.

United States becoming Sodom & Gommorah!

2011-04-30T11:27:00.002-06:00

Will this be the century that this particular bit of right-wing craziness comes true? We report, you decide!

Pat's ironically correct about one thing, though: It doesn't take an "ordinary scholar" to arrive at his conclusions. Far, far from it.

Unsurprisingly, Canadian birther is...

2011-04-29T10:51:00.001-06:00

...still birthering.

Like Iraqi WMDs, a priori commitment to a claim always seems to trump (pun intended) reality for people like "Canadian Sentinel", "WorldNetDaily", and a goodly dose of FOX News fans. These kinds of things continue to say a lot about their critical thinking skills & reasoning.

Ritz's ridiculous recession rheoric reflects... desperation.

2011-04-29T09:09:00.001-06:00

Nothing like the NDP's polling numbers going up to prompt nervous conservative MPs to go off their rockers. I particularly loved listening to 650 CKOM's uncritical echoing of that nonsense all day long. Gotta love the "liberal media".

The NEP? Does Gerry Ritz and his Conservative Party confederates really think Saskatchewan voters are that dumb? Talk about appealing to the worst qualities in the electorate!

John Gormley echos disingenuous CPC rhetoric on coalition governance.

2011-04-28T09:17:00.000-06:00

Failed-conservative-politician turned radical-right-wing-radio-host used his regular column space in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix a few days ago to (surprise, surprise!) regurgitate Stephen Harper's 'coalition with separatists' rhetoric.

The problem with cynically exploiting ignorance over Canadian parliamentary governance is that it becomes less successful over time. People brush up on their civics. People learn that Harper himself proposed a minority coalition. People become familiar with Canada's parliamentary system that requires confidence of the House of Commons to pass legislature, which means that minority governments must necessarily garner the confidence and support of the various parties involved, including the Bloc.

As someone with a background in politics, John should know better, raising the question: Is reprinting CPC propaganda verbatim a lucrative prospect, or does John just do it for free?

The real-life impact of Brad Trost's position on womens' health.

2011-04-27T08:02:00.000-06:00

If Mr. Trost had his bronze-age way, Canadians might face similar nightmares.

How many more extremists like Mr. Trost does Harper have sitting in the benches behind him, quietly waiting for the opportunity that a majority government would create for them?

Strength in Solidarity ain't just a buzzphrase.

2011-04-26T08:24:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure yet whether I'm going to hold my nose and vote strategically again this election, but for fuck's sake... Being a herd-of-cats is a virtue only to a certain degree, after which it becomes self-defeating. The final days of this campaign has seen the worst in all involved, and that only plays into the hands of those that have cynically been wagering on that from the start.

Can we progressives please start getting our shit together?

"Tories play politics with womens' health"

2011-04-25T08:32:00.000-06:00

Elizabeth Payne of the Ottawa Citizen had an great piece up the other day that, if anything, constituents in Brad Trost's riding really ought to read.

Teh cure for teh gehyz.

2011-04-24T11:00:00.000-06:00

Teh church haz it, & iz desperately trying 2 dress it up as legitimate psychotherapy.

Gotta love the self-fulfilling prophecy of shaming LGBTs as being pathological while simultaneously citing the shame that some feel as proof of that pathology.

Bitch Bronwyn Bitch: No bitching about "The Donald"?

2011-04-24T08:41:00.001-06:00

For an opinion column whose trademark is whining and complaining, Eyre's piece last week on Donald Trump's potential presidential run on the Republican ticket was abnormally free of bitching/opinion.

-No taking Trump to task for his tin-foil-hat Birtherism?
-No commentary on Trump's absurd foreign policy positions?
-No critical analysis of Trump's grasp of basic economics?

Why would Eyre suddenly suspend her usual penchant for mewling and griping? Perhaps a conservative extension of Reagan's ~~lack-of-integrity~~ 11th commandment?

Applauding contempt for a question?

2011-04-23T17:59:00.005-06:00

Harper & his Conservative Party seem 2 continue to give Canadians a glimpse of what lies beneath the mask.

I've got a bridge for sale! Interested?

2011-04-23T11:01:00.000-06:00

That some people consider this kind of thing to be "news" or anything besides comedic fodder or psychiatric interest is beyond me.

Happy Earth Day!

2011-04-22T11:24:00.004-06:00

Wikihow has some ideas on how to celebrate, as does the Earth Day Canada website!

(And don't forget to point and laugh at the usual wingnuts that take the opportunity to engage in their annual self-destructive tantrums!)

"Brad Trost and Planned Parenthood roundup"

2011-04-22T10:46:00.004-06:00

The StarPhoenix has an online roundup on the Saskatchewan Conservative MP whose anti-abortion rhetoric is apparently even to radical for ex-Reformer Stephen Harper to stand behind.

Freeper Friday*: Smitin' teh geyhz!

2011-04-22T09:29:00.004-06:00

"Please be advised that I'm 100% in favor of teaching homosexual history (I refuse to use the term "gay" for this abomination).

Here's the history lesson to be taught: SODOM AND GOMORRAH"

*Many thanks to the fine conservative commentators over at FreeRepublic.com for providing an never-ending source of entertainment!

"Ethics and Elections"

2011-04-21T08:05:00.001-06:00

Yesterday's StarPhoenix carried a column by Murray Mandryk (who is hit-and-miss, but more often the former) that had some astute observations on the role ethics could play in Saskatchewan during this federal election.

"the unwillingness of Harper to even utter Guergis's name - let alone offer her an apology - does raise questions about ethics and the prime minister's willingness to do the right thing. Add the growing litany of less-than-honest admissions from Harper on everything from his eagerness to form a coalition in 2004 to the ethics issues that have forced this election, and one starts to wonder if ethics issues do start to come into play in Saskatchewan."

Mandryk is rightfully dubious about this sort of thing having a major effect on the eventual lean of the Saskatchewanian contingent in federal parliament, but 's also correct to note that the kind of ethical malfeasance of the current Tory government prompting major shifts in voting patterns it isn't unheard of in Saskatchewan's electoral history.

Dear Tories: Betting on Canadians' ignorance might have been a winning short term strategy...

2011-04-20T08:03:00.001-06:00

... but now that many have actually brushed up on their basic civics & Responsible Governance, are you really sure you want to double-down on that wager?

Right Girl Gone AWOL?

2011-04-20T06:08:00.003-06:00

We went to check in on the infamous Canadian blogging conservative "injun" (her choice of word) hater and received the 404-not found error.

Minor glitch? Server problems? Is Wendy back in rehab?

Whatever the reason, we here at ETP wish Ms. Sullivan well and hope she returns to the blogosphere soon, as her bigotry, racism and anger was a source of comedy that will be missed here.

...At least, not until the CPC secures a majority in Parliament.

2011-04-19T09:55:00.001-06:00

As the hubbub surrounding Canadian teabagger Wally Daudrich continues to get attention, I found this quote from Conservative Party spokesperson Fred Delorey to be more than a little interesting:

"On the subject of abortion, he said the party is "not interested in reopening any debate on this issue.""

Like the Harper government's pre '08 election say-anything-to-get-elected promises about not running deficit should have taught everyone, I'm not going to hold my breath to see how long that will last.

Twitter Tuesday: What Canada really needs right now.

2011-04-19T09:32:00.000-06:00

Why Suzanne Fortin of ALLCAPS infamy hasn't been hired by the CPC as a political adviser is one of life's greatest mysteries.

Moran Monday (Maple Syrup Edition) *: Conservative Party of Canada now running Teabaggers as candidates?

2011-04-18T08:52:00.006-06:00

Wally Daudrich:

Favorite Movie: "Red Dawn"

Interests include: "Teaparty", "Tea Party of Canada", & denouncing Obama as the worst US President in history (Something that should prove immensely helpful to a Harper government in fostering US/Canada relations).

Favorite Television: FOX News (which can only bolster Mr. Daudrich's credentials as being an informed politician.)

Be sure to check out the link to Mr. Daudrich's facebook page at the link above, as it's filled with all kinds of goodies!

It doesn't take much searching to find the radicalism that still thrives within the Reform/Alliance/Conservative Party of Canada.

(h/t BigCityLib, amongst many others in the Canadian progressive blogosphere!)

*We're devoting space each Monday to documenting Teabagger idiocy. Stay tuned for more head-slappingly idiotic antics from America's incoherent, but conservative fledgling political movement!

EDIT: Welcome "Assholery" reader(s? So far, we've had only one with a quite familiar Alberta IP address.)! Please take a few seconds to note that the whining that sent you here is over something very different than what's posted above. I encourage those of you with intellectual integrity and an interest in honesty to return to the page that you came from and draw attention to the disingenuous guilt-by-association the proprietor of that website has engaged in. We here simply noted the Teabag-ish radicalism of Mr. Daudrich's facebook page, and did not made the claims the self-professed "asshole" who sent you here desperately hopes you're dumb enough to confuse with the above. Maybe it's time you took him to task for treating you as though you're not smart enough to know the difference.

You might also want to check out the "Assholery Free Blog" badge on the left sidebar, as this kind of thing has been going on for far too long, and it might provide some context to any self-unaware boasting about having been banned from commenting at many Canadian political blogs.

Paging Andrew Breitbart: Video "proof" needed again!

2011-04-17T11:10:00.003-06:00

Maybe a few minutes of a rock sitting on a sidewalk will unquestionably PROVE (sic) once mor that conservative Teabaggers & Republicans are without a doubt not racist?

Sunday Conservapedia*

2011-04-17T08:09:00.001-06:00

^{*Because reality has a "liberal bias"}

Cafeteria Christianity

"This practice is particularly common among liberal denominations, which cite only those passages which show Christ's forgiveness and mercy, but not His justice, in order to deny the existence of Hell and the necessity of faith for redemption. Matt. 7:1, "Judge not, that ye be not judged" is quoted out of context particularly often for this purpose.

Likewise, they selectively ignore passages which refute evolution, condemn abortion, make statements about the role of women that refute modern feminist dogmas, and conflict with other liberal views. Liberal Christians are also fond of citing Scripture selectively in order to rebuke only someone else's sins. "

"Straight-shooters" call abortion "infanticide".

2011-04-16T15:26:00.004-06:00

Another apparent glimpse of what lies beneath the Conservative Party mask, courtesy of Harper's Heritage minister James Moore.

Has Moore's position changed since he wrote the article? Let's see him try to straddle that fence between sane, mainstream Canadian opinion on abortion and his fundamentalist support base.

Saturday Sarah: Hypocrisy & Palin's Birther base.

2011-04-16T11:26:00.005-06:00

Last week saw Palin trying to keep touch with reality without completely alienating the large segment of her support base that subscribes to "birtherism". Without a shred of self-awareness, the now facebookin'-an'-twitterin' queen made the "what is he hiding?" gigantic appeal to ignorance:

"I think that he was born in Hawaii because there was the birth announcement put in the newspaper, but obviously if there's something there that the president doesn't want people to see on that birth certificate that, uh, you know, he's going to great lengths to make sure that that isn't shown and that's kind of perplexing for a lot of people."

If failure of a campaign to sufficiently address outstanding questions is proof positive of some kind of deception or cover-up, Palin herself "has some 'splainin to do".

Now, for the record, I don't think the claims of "babygate" at this point pass Occam's razor, but that's the point: Neither do the outlandish tinfoil-hat birther conspiracy theory that many of Palin's supporters are devout believers in.

For both Palin and her supporters, their zeal to attack Obama over his origin of birth while simultaneously ignoring the horribly fumbled outstanding questions about Palin's own campaign prop only further illustrate the today's conservative's adopting a partisan rabidness that accepts outright hypocrisy and glaring double standards as machiavellian necessities.

Bitch Bronwyn, Bitch: More Nixonian populist pablum.

2011-04-16T11:05:00.006-06:00

Another day, another radical right-winger in the media echoing the ghost of Nixon and whining about the media's failure to uncritically carry conservative talk-points and how it evidences bias.

The main thrust of this weeks rambling rant from Mrs. Eyre was the 'insufficient' coverage the media has given to Layton's debate "knockout punch" on Ignatieff (Eyre's characterization, not mine) in favor of Harper's performance. Because as we all know, one-liners (however apt and appropriate they might be) are substantially more important to an informed electorate than aggregate coverage of the entire debate and the trends that it showed.

I've lost track now of how many time Mrs. Eyre has used her regular space in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix to bemoan the absence of Ezra Levant's outlandish claims being given coverage or of how the media's failure to pretend that truth somehow happens to lie on a midpoint between partisan positions shows bias. Ironically, not only does Eyre share a prominent regular 3rd page column spot in the Star Phoenix with failed-Conservative-politician-turned-radical-right-wing-radio-talkshow-host John Gormley, but no comparable progressive counter-voices exist in their own publication. On top of that, FOX News continues (despite its overt conservative agenda) to dominate in ratings south of the border, and in this day and age of internet media, flex its influence north of '49 as well.

...May the disingenuous and routine playing of the populist faux-persecution card work out as well in the long term for Eyre, Gormley & their confederates as it did for Nixon.

CPC Cylons.

2011-04-15T08:53:00.001-06:00

Dammit Janet resurrects (all irony intended) and oldie, but a goodie.

... For the extremely niche audience of Canadian BSG fans:

Maybe god will give you that abortion you're considering.

2011-04-14T09:03:00.000-06:00

The anti-abortion movement's use of dishonesty & deception as its primary tactic is getting more and more ridiculous.

Atlas films...

2011-04-13T11:41:00.000-06:00

..., and appears to be as boring & disingenuous on screen as it was in the original format of that particular bit of libertarian porn:

Finally, some GOP self awareness!

2011-04-13T09:37:00.000-06:00

Former Republican Senator Alan Simpson acknowledges the obvious:

"Who the hell is for abortion? I don’t know anybody running around with a sign that says, “Have an abortion! They’re wonderful!” They’re hideous, but they’re a deeply intimate and personal decision, and I don’t think men legislators should even vote on the issue. Then you’ve got homosexuality, you’ve got Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. We have homophobes on our party. That’s disgusting to me. We’re all human beings. We’re all God’s children. Now if they’re going to get off on that stuff—Santorum has said some cruel things—cruel, cruel things—about homosexuals. Ask him about it; see if he attributes the cruelness of his remarks years ago. Foul. Now if that’s the kind of guys that are going to be on my ticket, you know, it makes you sort out hard what Reagan said, you know, “Stick with your folks.” But, I’m not sticking with people who are homophobic, anti-women, moral values—while you’re diddling your secretary while you’re giving a speech on moral values? Come on, get off of it."

Twitter Tuesday: Before Harper threw Fraser under the bus.

2011-04-12T16:11:00.004-06:00

Tweet courtesy of @ByDLeft :

Teabaggers start biting Boehner?

2011-04-12T10:31:00.000-06:00

The unearthly-hued man who is currently trying to defund Planned Parenthood & school lunch programs just isn't apparently quite extreme enough for the Tea Party circus.

"The Budget Log"

2011-04-12T07:52:00.000-06:00

Rick Mercer, spot on again.

"Tories misquoted me on summit costs, Fraser says"

2011-04-11T14:55:00.002-06:00

Another accusation of Conservative Party dishonesty.

Is anyone still surprised?

Moran Monday*: Muslims represent a cancer.

2011-04-11T07:59:00.001-06:00

What's simultaneously amusing and disgusting is that other than degree of publicity, does Bryan Fischer's bigoted rhetoric differ substantially from some of the anti-Muslim garbage that gets published by certain Blogging Tories, various Canadian wingnuts (cough Shaidle cough cough Macmillan) or the odd Maclean's contributor?

*We're devoting space each Monday to documenting Teabagger idiocy. Stay tuned for more head-slappingly idiotic antics from America's incoherent, but conservative fledgling political movement!

Glenn Beck's right to free speech is being taken away by George Soros' maxists!

2011-04-10T13:30:00.000-06:00

...Or something like that.

I wonder if Reynolds' Wrap shares are going to fall as a result of Beck's apparent firing.

Interesting that in all of this, there's still no disproof of that thing about Beck & some girl in the '90s. ...Just saying.

Theocracy Fun: Sex outside of marriage should be illegal!

2011-04-10T11:57:00.000-06:00

So says Don Haase , a nominee of Alaska's Republican Governor Sean Parnell for one of three public spots on the panel that approves Alaskan judges.

Sunday Conservapedia*

2011-04-10T11:12:00.000-06:00

^{*Because reality has a "liberal bias"}

Evolution Syndrome

"Evolution syndrome is the tendency of some people to insist compulsively that human evolution from animals must somehow be true, and to spend nearly all of their time pushing that belief on others. It is reflected on the Internet by people who devote over 90% of their edits and postings to pushing their belief in evolution and insisting on censoring alternative views of the issue. They are particularly against teaching any alternative theories to children in school. A childish insistence on last wordism is a common characteristic of evolution syndrome.

Evolution syndrome particularly afflicts people who have some educational background without having the intellectual depth of more accomplished peers. Evolution syndrome can be seen on wikis, Usenet groups, faculty positions below full professorships, and some less selective doctoral programs.

There is a high incidence of atheism among this group and indeed, most atheists suffer from evolution syndrome.

Keeping an open mind, not obsessing about one's own views and avoiding the insistence that others should share his/her view is the key to avoid suffering from evolution syndrome.

The Conservative Party of Canada can't mask its true control-freakism.

2011-04-09T11:58:00.000-06:00

They'll decide what information Parliament will have access to, they'll decide what the media will cover and not cover, and (bizarrely) their facebook creeping will decide who will attend campaign events. No amount of cake makeup or sweater vests are going to successfully cover that kind of pathological obsession with controlling even the smallest of minutia 'for the good of the Party'.

When your entire ideology is based on an intrinsic resistance to change, you can't hide what you really are for long. Sooner or later, reality will overtake any image control efforts, no matter how obsessive they might be.

Moar Saturday Sarah: Turns out that name trademarking revealed a lot!

2011-04-09T09:49:00.002-06:00

Bristol Palin™ reportedly earned from her Teen Pregnancy Prevention nonprofit seven times what the organization spent on... actual Teen Pregnancy Prevention.

Don't retreat... Reload and grab the money and also you betcha!

Saturday Sarah: "Palin's Self-Destruction"

2011-04-09T09:45:00.000-06:00

Steve Chapman at the Chicago Tribune has a piece up on the failed governor turned twitterin' an' facebookin' queen's continuing fall from grace. Cillizza & Blake of the Washington Post have a good follow-up to it, suggesting that Ms. Alaskan Reality TeeVee star has gone past the tipping point. Cue much whining and moaning about being a victim of... well, everything!

It's nice to know that the circus show that US politics has become may actually have reached a tolerance limit for absurdity.

Freeper Friday*: "Sodomy Nazis" & more!

2011-04-08T11:52:00.002-06:00

"Sodomy nazis invented the word “homophobe” to disparage and prevent rational thinking on same-sex attraction disorder.

What sodomites really want in our society is affirmation—enthusiastic endorsement—and they don’t care if it comes at the point of a gun. There is a reason that they seem compelled to broadcast their practice of sodomy to the entire world, with stickers, flags, marches, indoctrination of children, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. It’s not about rights: that’s just boob-bait for liberal bubbas. What they really want is for every single human being to applaud, pat them on the back, and tell them how strong and great they are for being sodomites, whenever and wherever they prance in and commence to swan about. They want to thrust their perversion into the face of each individual resident of planet Earth, and be met with nothing but compliments and homage. Not even that will make them happy, though, as they’ll still have to deal with their awareness of the disordered nature of their behavior."

Gotta love that conservative grasp on reality!

*Many thanks to the fine conservative commentators over at FreeRepublic.com for providing an never-ending source of entertainment!

"Tories vow to eliminate the deficit early"

2011-04-08T10:46:00.000-06:00

"The Conservatives promise to eliminate the deficit faster than they previously projected and push their tough-on-crime agenda and previously announced support for families and businesses, as the party releases its election platform Friday in Mississauga, Ont."

Excuse me... What deficit? The one Harper and his party promised prior to the last election that they would not run?

The CPC's newest bit of election rhetoric needs to have its knees clipped out from underneath it right from the start: Every deficit-elimination promise needs to be followed up with a reminder that this is the same party who promised Canadians prior to the 2008 election that it would not run a deficit and whose fiscal irresponsibility created the very thing that they're now promising to deal with.

Next in the news, man who was elected town fire chief after promising to eliminate arson lights neighbours' house on fire, and offers to owners to put it out if they'll vote for his re-election.

What do Donald Trump & "Canadian Sentinel" have in common?

2011-04-08T07:46:00.000-06:00

If you said "wonderful hair", you're only half-right!

Elections Canada promotes democratic participation amongst youth.

2011-04-07T11:50:00.001-06:00

Because Canadian youth have been said to be less likely to lean towards conservative positions on social issues, things like Canada's "Student Vote" that encourage early participation in democracy is clearly is an example of liberal bias and indoctrination. Did you know the Nazis also encouraged early participation in politics?

If you think the above is so bizarre & ridiculous that no one in their right mind would put forth that kind of argument with a straight face, you haven't been paying attention to the current crop of conservative "intellectuals".

"Mr. Harper, are you on your meds?"

2011-04-07T09:02:00.000-06:00

Rick Mercer on the Conservative Party's bizarre & untenable pre-occupation with Jack Layton's prostate.

"Biblical Teaching on Homosexuality In an Age of Confusion"

2011-04-06T11:57:00.001-06:00

Here's another interesting Catholic prejudice apologetic, illustrating once again the "À la carte" approach to biblical imperatives and divine-command morality.

I especially liked this get-out-of-bigotry-free attempt, as though "it's my religious belief" is some kind of absolution (pun entirely intended):

"Some who oppose the teaching of Scripture and the Church have taken to calling opposition to their view “hatred” and “bigotry.”

But we who are of faith must insist that the Church’s opposition to homosexual behavior is rooted in a principled obedience to the Word of God which we believe to be revealed by God and to which we owe docility and obedience. We can say and teach no other than what God has reveled consistently in his Word."

I give it a 4/5 on the chucklemeter.

Coyne: Harper's coalition rhetoric is disingenuous, but he should continue flogging it?

2011-04-06T08:54:00.000-06:00

Maclean's has a cover piece this issue by Andrew Coyne that's makes little sense: Coyne acknowledges both the dishonesty & hypocrisy of the Conservative Party's coalition propaganda, but seems to be all for Harper continuing to use it, albeit with a few tweaks.

Harper's been cynically treating Canadian voters as though they know jack about their parliamentary system of governance ever since his little prorogue stunt almost backfired on him. I think the more he and his party continue to do it, the more informed Canadian's will no longer be able to ignore that kind of dishonesty.

Bachmann leads in 2012 fundrasing,

2011-04-06T07:39:00.001-06:00

One more absurdity that speaks volumes about conservative voters in the U.S.

Dog help us all.

"Respect For Voters"

2011-04-05T10:09:00.000-06:00

If you haven't already, help make this video go viral.

Twitter Tuesday: New name for Harper's airplane?

2011-04-05T07:58:00.001-06:00

In light of the P.M.'s sudden retreat after having his "one on one debate" bluff called, J.J.'s got an interesting suggestion.

"Harper gets an earful from students: 'Surprise, we are voting'"

2011-04-04T17:29:00.003-06:00

Via The Globe & Mail:

"It looked like a scene from Braveheart, with more than 250 University of Guelph students standing on a hill overlooking Stephen Harper’s campaign stop in the southwestern Ontario city Monday.

Soaking from the pouring rain, the students carried a banner reading: “Surprise. We are voting.” They chanted, “We will vote.”

The rally was billed as "non-partisan", but given the slogan and the voting trends amongst Canadian youth, the event and the message intended wasn't likely terribly supportive of Harper & his party.

Moar Moran Monday: Michelle Obama's a fascist!

2011-04-04T11:51:00.000-06:00

Yes, at least one prominent conservative US radio talkshow host wants his audience to think that advocating better school lunches puts you on par with the Nazis:

Moran Monday*: The National Republican Senatorial Committee.

2011-04-04T08:11:00.000-06:00

Once again, I give you conservative lack of self awareness:

Who (other than rabid teabagging idiots who lack critical thinking skill) is this supposed to appeal to?

*We're devoting space each Monday to documenting Teabagger idiocy. Stay tuned for more head-slappingly idiotic antics from America's incoherent, but conservative fledgling political movement!

Sunday Conservapedia*

2011-04-03T11:28:00.004-06:00

^{*Because reality has a "liberal bias"}

Atheist Bullying

Schlafly's updated his article on what I think is one of the better examples out there of the conservative faux-persecution complex.

What the world clearly needs is more "Traditional Family Values Centers" to combat the obvious persecution that Christians are suffering under.

Here for Canada?

2011-04-03T10:28:00.000-06:00

Fear for Canada. Time to turn the page.

The organic chem. equivalent of seeing Jesus in your grilled-cheese sandwich.

2011-04-03T10:24:00.000-06:00

I was doing the twitter thing the other day when out of the blue, someone messaged me asking if I know about "Laminin". She said I absolutely had to watch a video that would change my life. With a sale's pitch like that, I was curious:

I completely respect the power of religious belief to bring ppl comfort, joy, and to help them through trouble. That said, one of the things that keeps me up late at night is that there are a significant number of people out there to whom the above performance represents an intellectually compelling argument.

No wonder humanity isn't doing better.

"Utertus" a dirty word to the Republican party.

2011-04-02T13:24:00.000-06:00

This explains a lot.

Everything's bigger in Texas.

2011-04-02T12:28:00.003-06:00

Maybe not everything, but definitely the degree of widespread stupidity.

Working while Hispanic.

2011-04-02T10:23:00.001-06:00

Clearly, it's logical and not at all bigoted to assume you're an illegal immigrant because you're brown and can speak a language other than English.

The best part of the article: Shirley Matson's claim that she "just wanted to save the county some embarrassment".

Oddly, Mrs. Matson's political party affiliation wasn't mentioned in the article. I blame the "liberal bias of the lamestream media".

Saturday Sarah: Oh, the irony!

2011-04-02T09:37:00.000-06:00

The failed governor turned twitterin' an' facebookin' queen, who's constantly slighted Barack Obama for using (as all presidents have since before Nixon) a teleprompter for his speeches, had some teleprompter problems of her own.

No word yet on whether she'll retract her earlier disingenuity or whether her blogging acolytes will revisit their echoing of it and also you betcha. As the western political right-wing has learned to do, they'll simply move on, pretending as though their earlier dishonesty never happened.

Conservative canadiates hiding their radicalism?

2011-04-01T11:59:00.000-06:00

Conservative BC leadership candidate John Cummins reportedly opposes abortion in all circumstances. Not only that, he also apparently opposes same-sex marriage, stem-cell research, and the amendment to the Human Rights Act that protects people from being discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation.

Has Cummins changed his radical positions on these issues now that he's running for the provincial leadership of his party? As has become the case for Conservative politicians, Mr. Cummin's didn't stick around to clarify these outstanding questions when he announced his new political ambitions. BC voters deserve to know if he still maintains these extreme positions or whether he's "evolved" to something more palatable for mainstream Canadians.

Harper Press Conference: The Musical!

2011-04-01T11:55:00.001-06:00

Complete with a lack of questions from the media.

Canadian media finally showing some cahones.

2011-04-01T11:09:00.003-06:00

Dammit Janet! has the details.

EDIT: As per the comment below (Thanks Fern!), they also have a disappointing update.

How's the whole "praying for Obama's death" thing working out for you?

2011-04-01T09:19:00.000-06:00

"Imprecatory prayer": Ur doin it wrong.

Freeper Friday*: Why minorities shouldn't be allowed to enlist.

2011-04-01T08:21:00.000-06:00

"Sorry, not enough minorities can even pass the ASVAB to break into even the enlisted ranks. Or, they are too busy selling drugs, tacos, or enrolling in community colleges to join.

Hubby was a recruiter who saw this for too many years. Also, many of our high school principals in these areas refuse to allow military recruiters in to sign them up.

The question that should be asked ...exactly how many women/minority types even WANT to serve, or believe in taking the oath required to serve? How many would provide the ultimate sacrifice if called upon? Do we really believe enough of these people even care about this country to that extent OR have the mental AND physical ability to serve?

A good many of them mock the patriotic principles that it takes ... many of them believe it is either beneath them, or that it’s just not “their cup of tea.”

*Many thanks to the fine conservative commentators over at FreeRepublic.com for providing an never-ending source of entertainment!

PM renames himself "Captain Weasel".

2011-03-31T13:29:00.001-06:00

"The Disaffected Lib" has the goods on Harper's chest-thumping and having had his bluff called.

Patrick Ross Watch!

2011-03-31T11:59:00.003-06:00

It's now been approx 120+ days since this court finding of defamation and order was reportedly issued.

You be the judge of whether it's been complied with.

Bonus hilarity: If you thought "The Nexus of Assholery" blog title was ironically appropriate, wait till you see this!

We'll be back next month with an update!

EDIT: Sorry for not including this earlier, but it appears that Mr. Ross has finally acknowledged the court order and has posted a response on his blog. He now seems to be claiming it was all a joke, adopting the playground "but he did it first" routine, and begging for legal defense donations. As has always been the case, The Nexus of Assholery continues to provide priceless entertainment!

Mercer on the Economic absurdity of the Economic Action Plan advertising.

2011-03-31T09:33:00.000-06:00

Rick Mercer again hits the Tories post-facto "Action Plan" advertising spot on:

Finally, a Canadian Political Compass!

2011-03-31T07:44:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure I agree with all of the methodology it relies on, but having seen U.S. and International version of the "Political Compass", it's nice now that a Canadian tool for mapping political views exists.

Have some fun and take the test! (h/t Ken Chapman's blog)

Anti-Abortion activists back to their Tim Tebow potential-people nonsense again.

2011-03-30T13:19:00.000-06:00

This time, they're putting up billboards in poor and predominantly black neighbourhoods to remind women there that they could be aborting President Obama... or something equally incoherent and nonsensical.

I wonder how much valuable procreation time was wasted on this ad campaign by these crazy, logically-illiterate zealots... and how many potential "leaders" were denied existence because of it?

Who outside of the wide-eyed anti-abortion choir is dumb enough to find that argument to be anything but comically ridiculous?

When the difference between reality and parody becomes negligible.

2011-03-30T10:35:00.000-06:00

Via The Torontoist, "Craigslist Ad Seeks Clear, Concise, Conservative Astroturfers".

...An earnest employment posting? ...Well-done satire? We report, you decide.

Dropping Beck.

2011-03-30T07:26:00.000-06:00

It appears paranoia, bigotry, dishonesty and HomoAtheistProgressiveMuslimMarxistKenyanSorosCaliphate conspiracy theories just aren't appealing to advertisers in the same way they used to. It clearly must be the fault of some EMM-ESS-EMM-biased-deathpanel.

If Beck ever winds up going off the air, I wonder what some are going to do for blog content?

Four days in...

2011-03-29T13:03:00.000-06:00

...and finally, Harper's disingenuous "coalition" garbage is backfiring for him.

This should really have occurred when he first started his caterwauling about it during his prorogue shenanigans, but better late than never. The problem with using lies and deceit as your primary rhetorical strategy... it's an untenable in the long-term: Sooner or later you'll eventually get caught in this digital age of search engines and data bases.

Oh, and for all those CPC zombies out there who mindless regurgitated Mr. Harper's nonsense and defended it so vehemently... well, the internets have long memories. I hope they wear those albatrosses with pride!

Harper's scary-coalition fearmongering going to bite him in the ass?

2011-03-29T11:40:00.002-06:00

Let's work to make sure that Canadians remember this...

...each time Harper drags his coalition threats out of the Conservative Party's Election Rhetoric playbook (h/t Larry Hubich's Blog).

It isn't just parliament that Harper and his party have contempt for, it's also the intelligence of Canadian voters.

More Twitter Tuesday: "shinyshiny"

2011-03-29T10:50:00.000-06:00

Apt and accurate:

Twitter Tuesday: Downplaying Contempt.

2011-03-29T08:26:00.000-06:00

@MaynardM hits the contempt nail squarely on the head:

"The Best Thing About The Canadian Election"?

2011-03-28T10:54:00.003-06:00

"The Interim", which bill's itself as "Canada's life and family newspaper" carried this piece today, rejoicing over one of the lesser known side-effects of the current dissolution of parliament:

"As Xtra!, the homosexualist newspaper reminds us, Bill C-389, which would add transsexual and transgender to the Canadian Human Rights Act and the hate crimes provisions of the Criminal Code, has died on the Senate Order Paper because the election was called."

Yup, you read that right: At least some Canadian Social Conservatives out there are celebrating the election getting in the way of protecting transgender and transsexual people from hate crimes.

As I've repeatedly said here, there's nothing like social conservativism when it lets its true face show.

Moran Monday: Bachmann's looking like she's running.

2011-03-28T07:58:00.000-06:00

In a sane world, this would be a great thing, as it would help make sure that the keys to the most powerful nation on the planet stay in the hands of the sane and responsible.

Unfortunately, given what we've seen of the US electorate over the past decade and a bit, this is not that world.

*We're devoting space each Monday to documenting Teabagger idiocy. Stay tuned for more head-slappingly idiotic antics from America's incoherent, but conservative fledgling political movement!

Sask. NDP Convention.

2011-03-27T14:55:00.002-06:00

I realize that I've already got links to both these excellent blogs on the sidebar, but I thought that since a provincial election in Saskatchewan may be looming, I'd draw attention to the great first-hand blogger coverage that Saskboy and The Jurist have been providing at their sites.

Anyone interested in Saskatchewan progressive politics should (if they haven't already) check their posts out.

Weekly Podcast Roundup.

2011-03-27T11:16:00.000-06:00

"The Professional Left" - by Driftglass and BlueGal: The two cover the current disgrace of political commentators in the media, Wolfowitz's return from obscurity, the US left's "Luther" opportunity, and the unfortunate need for "liar" to return to the political lexicon.

"Slate's Political Gabfest" - The Gabfest team of Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz take on the unrest in Libya, the GOP's 2012 contenders, and abortion in South Dakota.

"Primetime Politics" - The CPAC weekly summary addresses the confidence issue in Canada's parliament and the looming election prospect.

"CBC's At Issue" - Guests Jennifer Ditchburn and Bruce Anderson join Chantal Hébert and Andrew Coyne in discussing just how nasty the upcoming Canadian election could get.

Again, we're still in the process of adding to this weekly feature, so please feel free to drop us any suggestions of your favorite political podcasts to add!

Sunday Conservapedia*

2011-03-27T09:24:00.002-06:00

^{*Because reality has a "liberal bias"}

Best New Conservative Words

"Each year the English language develops about a thousand new words. The King James Version of the Bible contains only about 8,000 different words; many good words have since developed. Conservative terms, expressing conservative insights, originate at a faster rate, and with much higher quality, than liberal terms.

Conservative triumph over liberalism is thus inevitable."

Yes, words now are either "with us or against us". Be sure not to miss Conservapedia's list of "Conservative Words Not Yet Recognized By The Dictionary".

...Another illustration of why Conservapedia is, as it claims, "The Trustworthy Encyclopedia".

Harper meets with Governor General, fails Political Studies 101.

2011-03-26T08:31:00.006-06:00

"Emerging from his meeting with Gov. Gen. David Johnston at Rideau Hall, Harper said Canadians will make a choice next month between a "stable, national majority government" or a "reckless coalition" led by Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff."

No, Mr. Harper... That's not how Canadian governance works. Canadian elections aren't dichotomies like that, and that's not the decision that Canadians face.

Maybe that kind of scaremongering worked for Harper before, but in the aftermath of his party's past dishonest whining about potential coalition governance, many Canadians have likely brushed up on their basic civics, and should be quite aware that Mr. Harper's above claim is a cynical effort to exploit what he must see as an ignorant and know-nothing electorate. Treating Canadians as though they don't know the basics of their form of government might work in the short run, but isn't tenable over the long-term, and will hopefully come back to give Mr. Harper some well-earned political karmic payback.

Ironically, if Mr. Harper's party doesn't win a majority, does the above nonsense mean that he's conceding parliamentary confidence to a coalition? Will anyone ask him about it?