And These Are Israel's Friends?

Is this messed up or what? With friends like these, Israel doesn't need enemies.

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Steve's Favorite Police Force Full Of Crap

Greg Weston, in a move designed to make me forget his poll spinning, has come out with a blistering column against RCMP spinning. At last, someone in the media is calling "Bullshit" on the Mounties for pointing the finger of blame on the opposition for their own failures on Air India. Key graphs:

First, it has been almost three years since the Supreme Court ruled investigative hearings are constitutional.

Yet for all the RCMP's urgency to get to the bottom of the Air India tragedy, for all the feds were supposedly relying on investigative hearings, the Mounties had not put a single potential witness through the process by the time the provision died last week.

Indeed. It sounds like something I might have written, two weeks ago.

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Timber!

Read this article and consider: 1) this "deal" (sellout?) for a decade looks like it is falling apart after a few months and 2) if the Americans think the feds don't have the clout to stand up to the provinces now, wait until Harper gets done with the place. They will never sign a future deal the emasculated hulk of a federal government, envisioned by our glorious leader. What then, separate side deals with each province, playing one off against the other in a race to the bottom? The other political parties should talk this up a bit and see what the great man has to say about it. Hat tip to the Wingnutter.

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Apropos Of Nothing

1Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.

2And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.

3And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,

4They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

5Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

6This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

7So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

8And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

9And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

10When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

11She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

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Dumont Hearts Harper

Mario Dumont wants an "autonomous" Quebec and thinks Stephen Harper is just the man to give it to him. I wonder if Mr. Harper can explain to the rest of the nation, just what an autonomous Quebec means and whether the rest of the provinces will be "autonomous" too? Perhaps he can explain how such a collection of "autonomous" regions are to function as a country (why, for example, should an "autonomous" Ontario pay for an "autonomous" Quebec, through equalization? How "autonomous" is an "autonomous" region if it is supported by cash from somewhere else?). I have to wonder, is it fair to ask at this point whether Mr. Harper is "soft on separatism"?

Update:Courtesy of Mr. Wells. It looks like Mr. Harper needs to explain his thoughts about his vision with more than English Canada.

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Polls And The Politics Of Spin

SES, my favourite pollster, has released a new poll today. I have to say it is a bit of a disappointment because it does not include voting intentions. What it is instead is a reading of Canada's "comfort" level about the idea of a Conservative majority. Take a look at the poll chart here. Take a good look at it because there will be a quiz later.

This poll, like all polls, come with its own spin, courtesy of the MSM and the blogging community. Greg Weston, in the Sun, admits:

Since the first SES-Sun Media poll in August last year, the latest survey found little change nationally in how voters feel about the possibility of a Conservative majority government -- the percentages of those comfortable and uncomfortable with the idea are roughly equal.

Which is true, there has been no statistically significant shift in opinion on this question since August. Then Weston decides to take a trip to spinland.

But SES head Nik Nanos, one of Canada's most respected political analysts, says the fact almost half of Quebec voters polled said they would be okay with a Tory majority is good news for the Conservatives, and potentially terrible news for the Liberals.

"Even though Quebecers aren't saying they are voting Conservative, these numbers provide a comfort scale that suggests they could support Harper -- he is no longer the boogeyman," Nanos notes.

While it is true that Tory numbers are somewhat better in Quebec, a majority of Quebecers are still uncomfortable with the idea of a Tory majority. Talk about accentuating the positive. Why did Weston zero in on Quebec? Good question, one I wish I could ask him, because if you look at the other regional numbers, the Tory numbers are trending down in both Ontario and Atlantic Canada.

So why choose to emphasize this one bit of good news? Well, it fits into the new conventional wisdom in Ottawa, that Harper is unbeatable and everyone should just give up and vote in a Tory majority. I take my hat off to the Tory machine, they have worked tirelessly to create this conventional wisdom. Shame on the MSM for swallowing it so easily.

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Gee, This Is A Surprise

The RCMP investigated themselves over the massacre in Mayerthope and guess what? They are not to blame for any of it. Those young policemen were left on their own, with no backup, on an isolated farm of a known career loon, who loved guns and it was all an "unprecedented and unanticipated" event. Forgive me while I clean up the puke. There is no indication if anyone asked the question why our national police force, which dealt with this man for years, found itself in "unanticipating" this event. I guess that would have been too embarrassing and we can't have that.

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