If Iggy's Un-Canadian, So's Steve-o!

I've got to give it to the PC's for the new commercial they put out about Ignatieff's "otherness". It's classic, it get's straight to the point and it's funny.... but not for the right reasons.

By now I'm sure that most Canadians who read are aware that Michael Ignatieff lived outside of Canada for over 30 years prior to his foray into the Canadian political scene. He is an internationally known intellect and author and he was a professor at Harvard. This, to me, is a plus. In fact, by criticizing this the Conservatives have made themselves appear to be a carbon copy of the doofus, knuckle-dragging, monochromatic party that the US Republicans are right now- and judging from what transpired on November 4, 2008, that look hasn't been working out too well for them. Not to mention that by criticizing Ignatieff's "otherness" or "worldliness" the Conservatives are indirectly insulting the thousands of Canadian well-educated immigrants who may not have grown up in Canada, but are enthusiatically involved in their adopted homeland's political process. But this is not why I found this commercial funny.

This commercial is hilarious because the irony is so rich. By attacking Ignatieff as being a "stranger" to Canada, the Conservatives inadvertantly point to their own leader's conspicuous absence from Canada. I mean, when's was Stephen Harper last seen on Canadian soil? The last I remember seeing him was right before Obama went shopping for Beaver's Tails and key chains in Ottawa in February. He's been on CNN and the BBC smiling away, but he's given the CBC the proverbial finger since he moved into 24 Sussex. Let's face it- the man has been AWOL from Canada for last three months and everyone knows it. Well, everyone except the Conservative party. Looks like the joke's on them.

Harper Shames Canada Once Again!!!!

Our Prime Minister is apparently on a rampage to prove how big a fool he truly is. Today the Canadian Supreme Court ruled that Stephen Harper should pressure the US government to have Guantanamo detainee, Omar Khadr returned to Canada. Iggy and perpetual deer-in-headlight looking Gilles Duceppe have written letters to both Barack Obama and Stephen Harper urging them to bring Khadr back to Canada. Khadr was accused of throwing a hand grenade and killing a US soldier in Afghanistan in 2002. Khadr has yet to be prosecuted for this crime. He was 15 years old at the time.

Now, whether or not one thinks Khadr is terrorist is irrelevant to the argument. Omar was a child at the time of his arrest and come to think of it there are a lot of child soldiers around the world who could be placed in the same boat as Mr. Khadr. Would we prosecute them as war criminals and detain them for years on end without charge? Probably not, but I digress... The fact is Stephen Harper has a responsibility to bring Canadian citizen back to Canada to face the justice our soil. Why would he appeal the decision made by the Canadian Supreme Court? What does he have to gain from delaying what is clearly inevitable?

I hope every Canadian citizen reading this realizes how embarassing Mr. Harper is as a head of state for this country. For the first time in my lifetime I have felt ashamed to be a Canadian. I've never considered this country a utopia, but I know that I am most fortunate to live here. The twice-elected Harper government has made me question Canadian values and the thinking of many of its citizens. I hope people realize that our current Prime Minister cares very little about Canada's image as well as what it used to represent. Yes, folks-- Harper only cares about himself and his political career and is willing to sacrifice his own country's image for his personal gain. Remember that the next time you enter an election booth.

Torture Is A Crime And Bush and His Administration Are Criminals!!!

So, the big topic of discussion south of the border is whether or not Dick Cheney et al. should be prosecuted for war crimes due their love affair with torture tactics. This story makes my blood boil! I have to admit that I am not quite sure why this is being debated. There are no grey areas. Torture is ILLEGAL. It is illegal in the United States and more importantly, it is deemed illegal acording to International Law. Why George, Dick, Rummy, Condi and the other village idiot-- Alberto "Gonzo" Gonzalez, were unwilling to recognize this, is beyond my earthly comprehension (although I'm pretty sure Lucifer and his cast of demons in hell would be able to answer my question). We were all aware that the Bush Administration was one of the most incompetent in recent memory, but with the release of these torture memos we are now certain of its deviance.

The US has always touted itself as the moral authority of the world-- a title they do not deserve, let alone any other country for that matter. They have called out other countries for crimes against humanity (i.e. China) and called for the prosecution of despot leaders (i.e. Mugabe, Al-Bashir). Why shouldn't this same appetite for justice apply to the United States of America? The US executed Japanese soldiers after World War II for committing the very same acts of torture that US senior officials are now being accused of. Why are certain politicians refusing to admit that this is the same thing? Yes, 9/11 was a horrific tragedy and those responsible for the murder of 3,000 innocent people should be brought to justice. However, this was not license to abandon all laws for the sake of revenge. The excuse has also been given that government needed to use these tactics in order acquire 'high value information'. Would this information have included the whereabouts of one Mr. Bin Laden and/or the notorious Weapons of Mass Destruction? If not, the info that was received was about as valuable as a fake Gucci bag. Sorry, we're not buying.

If Obama's Attorney General, Eric Holder is smart, he'll prosecute these gangsters. If he doesn't, the International Criminal Court in The Hague should be put on notice. The world is watching and it wants the US to be held to the same standard as everyone else.

Watch Liz Cheney (Dick's daughter--- poor thing) try and justify her father's torture tactics:

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Breaking News: Stephen Harper Is DR. CLAW!!!!!!

I am fully convinced that our Prime Minister is Dr. Claw. Why else would a grown man be posing in so many photographs with poor, defenceless kittens? You know what this means? Michael Ignatieff is Inspector Gadget.

This Week’s Emperor of Whackness: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi

If you thought George Bush was a raging idiot and the embodiment of the stereotypical American, you haven’t heard of Silvio Berlusconi. Silvio is George's brother from an Italian mother. He personifies every negative stereotype North Americans have about Italian men that you can almost see the gold chain and chest hair and smell the overpowering cologne. He is such a wealth of comedic material, he alone could keep Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Bill Maher in business for another 10 seasons. Here’s a list of his some of his major offenses:

1. He’s allegedly linked to the Mafia (Think of Tony Soprano running Canada. Foggedaboutit!) .
2. Called Mussolini “a benign dictator who didn’t kill his opponents- he just sent them on holiday”. Right. And Stalin was just misunderstood.
3. He held the 2005 European Food Safety Authority meeting in Italy instead of Finland because “the Finnish don’t know what prosciutto is”.
4. He told Wall Street investors to invest in Italy because Italy “has the most beautiful secretaries in the world”.
5. He claimed that “communists used to eat children” and defended this comment by explaining that “in Communist China children were boiled and their carcasses were used to fertilize fields”.
6. He stated that diplomatic relations between Russia and the US would improve with Obama as the new President of the United States because “Obama is young, tanned and handsome”.
7. He played hide-and-go-seek at an official visit with the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. She wasn’t amused.
8. He decided to put thousands of police officers on the streets of major Italian cities to lower the crime rate. He told a journalist that “there would be enough police to avoid the risk of rape [to women]. They would need as many police officers as beautiful women because Italy has so many beautiful women”.
9. He ticks off most of his constituents on a remarkably regular basis.

There’s a lot more, but I’m pretty sure you’re having difficulty keeping your food down. Two days ago Italy suffered a devastating earthquake in the city of L’Aquila. The death toll has surpassed 250 and there are thousands who are injured. Many survivors have had to set up “tent cities” as their homes are no longer fit to live in. Prime Minister Berlusconi visited one of those tent cities and told the people to “pretend you are camping for the weekend”. Um... WHAT?! Needless to say, Mr. Berlusconi has a serious case of foot-in-mouth disease making him totally deserving of this week’s Emperor of Whackness title. All hail!

Here's video of Emperor Berlusconi behaving like a sizzling hot mess:

Obama, Berlusconi and Medvedev Take a “FreshMaker” Break

Oh great! The international economy is imploding and Obama, Prime Minister Berlusconi of Italy and Russian President Medvedev decide to go and film a Mentos commercial. President Hu is not feeling it.

Laureen Harper's Outfit Underwhelms at the G20

It appears that in addtion to Stephen Harper's stubborn refusal to spice up his look, he is also dictating his wife's wardrobe. Laureen Harper wore a boring "Conservative Party" navy blue suit to the G20 First Wives Dinner last night that I'm sure I saw on sale at the Bay three weeks ago. What a waste! She couldn't have gotten more than 5,000 HBC Reward points for it. Although, she could cash in those points for a totally rad Braun hand-held blender and really get her money's worth, but I digress....

I, and many others have often asked, where is our Obama?, but I think we all know by now that that's a lost cause, so the better question is, where is our Michelle? The US First Lady looked great and very stylish, as usual. It's at times like these that I begin to miss Mila Mulroney. Sure, her husband was a jerk and possibly even a felon, but her wardrobe was off the hook! I even find myself wishing Margaret Trudeau was still on the scene. Yeah, she definitely was and is insane in the membrane, but who cares? She had cute clothes and partied with Mick Jagger! She was a two for one combo!

Oh poor Laureen! How small and insignificant she must have felt amongst all that silk taffeta, colour and Swarovski crystal. Well, at least she's buying Canadian...