Here is a Letter I sent to the National Post. Some of my more important words were censored out, And the word "allegedly" was never in my letter.
Letter to Editor
National Post
July 27, 2011.
Dear Editor, re: "Don't call China an 'ally'" National Post, July 27,2011.
You state in this editorial, "China's human rights record remains troubling,..." China is responsible for the slaughter of millions of its own people. Engages in torture, removes the organs forcefully from people, suppresses free speech, has used tanks against dissidents in Tiamen Square, has a history of forced abortions; need I say anymore? I believe a more apt word in your editorial regarding its "human rights" would have been atrocious or inhuman.
Stephen J. Gray
----------------------
Here is the National Post Version of my letter published July 29,2011
. or are there better words?
National Post · Jul. 29, 2011
This editorial states: "China's human rights record remains troubling." Troubling? China engages in torture, allegedly removes organs forcefully from people, suppresses free speech and has used tanks against dissidents in Tiananmen Square. I believe better words to describe China's "human rights" would have been "atrocious" or "inhuman."
Stephen J. Gray, Chilliwack, B.C.
http://www.nationalpost.com/todays-paper/there+better+words/5176182/story.html
--------------------------------
Excerpt below from The Epoch Times July 14, 2011. (emphasis added)
"Thousands have died, hundreds of thousands have been imprisoned, and according to some estimates, over 40,000 have had their organs forcefully removed in lucrative transplant operations. To date, the Conservative government has not mentioned any of these issues in a major public speech."
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/canada/baird-heads-to-china-to-build-ties-59098.html
Friday, July 22, 2011
Communist North Korea Claims Discrimination by CPC
Communist North Korea Claims Discrimination by CPC
(Satire) By Stephen J. Gray
Dear Conservative Party of Canada (CPC), it has come to our notice that your Minister of Foreign Affairs has been, how do you say, bad mouthing us. He is reported as saying, "North Korea is simply not a credible chair of a disarmament body,…” [1] We find this statement by your Minister to be very hypocritical. This is the same gentleman and government which supports the illegal bombing of Libya where civilians and little children have been killed. Yet, you people call this a “humanitarian mission.” Your allies even supplied arms to Libya when the dictator was your friend.
Libya of course is a dictatorship, as are we in North Korea yet your foreign minister visits the dictatorship in China and calls them a “friend” and an “ally.” [2] Are some dictatorships more equal than others? Quite frankly we are feeling slighted and discriminated against. Where is the fairness and equality in your foreign minister’s behaviour? We are treated like pariahs, yet China is hailed as a beacon of light in your unfair governmental decisions. How can this be? We are just as good dictators as China! Look at our record. We have starved and jailed our people, we even have Gulags while China has used tanks against their own people, sold poisoned goods to the West, and committed all kinds of atrocities, like forced abortions [3] and taking live body parts from prisoners, and torture etc. [4] Your Conservative Party congratulates them on their 90th anniversary despite its slaughter of millions of its own people. We say shame on you and of course shame on us too. Still, we ask you, who is more ethical, us or them? In fact, we could argue that they have done worse things than we have. We believe your foreign minister and your government should look in the mirror and ask themselves, “Are we hypocrites?” It is all so disheartening to see communist China being praised and congratulated by you conservatives while we are vilified. We believe your minister needs to give his head a big shake and get with some kind of equal opportunity program for dictators. Human rights are human rights, and we believe our rights have been violated and discriminated against. We believe your treatment of us is biased, yet your praise of China could be seen as grovelling and sycophantic. Perhaps we should complain to your Human Rights Commission that we are being discriminated against.
We understand your Human Rights Commissions are very good at arriving at the proper political decisions, so we are weighing them as an option; however we only want to do this as a last resort. Please do not think we are resorting to threats, but we have heard that your minister has been described as a “pit bull” and we do not want to be bitten by him anymore in the world of public discourse. Dog is a delicacy in our country, but we do not think this type of dog is edible. Tee, hee, hee. Sorry, did I make a silly pun or joke? Very sorry, hope no offence taken, please. It really saddens us to write this letter, but in all conscience, how could we let this slight upon our country pass without comment? Your foreign minister should come visit us and he will see that we are just like his friends in China, a dictator who can smile. We will shake his hand and politely inform him of his double standards, we will smile with him just like his friends do in China. Then hopefully we will receive his blessing and the approbation that he gave to China’s dictator. After all, what is good for the goose should surely be good for the gander, as the saying goes. Thank you for your attention to this matter, because one dictator should not be made a favourite over other dictators, we are all equal.
Yours in Comradeship and Concern.
-----------------
Stephen J. Gray
July 22, 2011.
Endnotes:
[1] http://www2.canada.com/story.html?id=5036246
[2] http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/effusive-john-baird-wraps-up-china-visit-with-praise-for-strategic-partner/article2103353/
[3] http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/index.php?nav=wujian
[4] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7iDZnkn1xo
(Satire) By Stephen J. Gray
Dear Conservative Party of Canada (CPC), it has come to our notice that your Minister of Foreign Affairs has been, how do you say, bad mouthing us. He is reported as saying, "North Korea is simply not a credible chair of a disarmament body,…” [1] We find this statement by your Minister to be very hypocritical. This is the same gentleman and government which supports the illegal bombing of Libya where civilians and little children have been killed. Yet, you people call this a “humanitarian mission.” Your allies even supplied arms to Libya when the dictator was your friend.
Libya of course is a dictatorship, as are we in North Korea yet your foreign minister visits the dictatorship in China and calls them a “friend” and an “ally.” [2] Are some dictatorships more equal than others? Quite frankly we are feeling slighted and discriminated against. Where is the fairness and equality in your foreign minister’s behaviour? We are treated like pariahs, yet China is hailed as a beacon of light in your unfair governmental decisions. How can this be? We are just as good dictators as China! Look at our record. We have starved and jailed our people, we even have Gulags while China has used tanks against their own people, sold poisoned goods to the West, and committed all kinds of atrocities, like forced abortions [3] and taking live body parts from prisoners, and torture etc. [4] Your Conservative Party congratulates them on their 90th anniversary despite its slaughter of millions of its own people. We say shame on you and of course shame on us too. Still, we ask you, who is more ethical, us or them? In fact, we could argue that they have done worse things than we have. We believe your foreign minister and your government should look in the mirror and ask themselves, “Are we hypocrites?” It is all so disheartening to see communist China being praised and congratulated by you conservatives while we are vilified. We believe your minister needs to give his head a big shake and get with some kind of equal opportunity program for dictators. Human rights are human rights, and we believe our rights have been violated and discriminated against. We believe your treatment of us is biased, yet your praise of China could be seen as grovelling and sycophantic. Perhaps we should complain to your Human Rights Commission that we are being discriminated against.
We understand your Human Rights Commissions are very good at arriving at the proper political decisions, so we are weighing them as an option; however we only want to do this as a last resort. Please do not think we are resorting to threats, but we have heard that your minister has been described as a “pit bull” and we do not want to be bitten by him anymore in the world of public discourse. Dog is a delicacy in our country, but we do not think this type of dog is edible. Tee, hee, hee. Sorry, did I make a silly pun or joke? Very sorry, hope no offence taken, please. It really saddens us to write this letter, but in all conscience, how could we let this slight upon our country pass without comment? Your foreign minister should come visit us and he will see that we are just like his friends in China, a dictator who can smile. We will shake his hand and politely inform him of his double standards, we will smile with him just like his friends do in China. Then hopefully we will receive his blessing and the approbation that he gave to China’s dictator. After all, what is good for the goose should surely be good for the gander, as the saying goes. Thank you for your attention to this matter, because one dictator should not be made a favourite over other dictators, we are all equal.
Yours in Comradeship and Concern.
-----------------
Stephen J. Gray
July 22, 2011.
Endnotes:
[1] http://www2.canada.com/story.html?id=5036246
[2] http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/effusive-john-baird-wraps-up-china-visit-with-praise-for-strategic-partner/article2103353/
[3] http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/index.php?nav=wujian
[4] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7iDZnkn1xo
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Alleged Fraudsters “Agreed” to Fines: No Jail Time
Alleged Fraudsters “Agreed” to Fines: No Jail Time
By Stephen J. Gray
“We participated in things that were clearly wrong and we have reason to regret and we apologize for them,…” Lloyd Blankfein, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs, quoted in Bloomberg News, November 18, 2009. [1]
Despite the alleged massive frauds perpetrated by financial scam artists in the sub-prime mortgage scandals none of the really big fish have gone to jail. The smell of corruption permeates the system, and yet the system appears to have accepted that some people are too big to fail or jail. An article in Bloomberg news of June 1, 2011, stated,
“ Goldman Sachs Group (GS) won’t face criminal prosecution related to sales of mortgage-linked securities because such a move could threaten the U.S. financial system, according to Brad Hintz, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.” [2]
Well excuse me, does this mean that the justice system hands down no jail time for the powerful but gives jail time to the powerless? The article went on to say: “In July, Goldman Sachs agreed to pay $550 million to settle a civil fraud suit by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that alleged the firm misled clients about a mortgage-linked investment.”
Goldman Sachs is not the only financial firm that has plenty of money to pay a fine but does not do any hard time. Here is an excerpt from the San Francisco Chronicle of July 8, 2011:
“JPMorgan Chase & Co. has agreed to pay $228 million to settle federal charges that the bank conspired to rig the bidding on investment contracts sold to state and local governments to boost its profits at taxpayer expense.” [3] The article went on to say:
“The Justice Department and the SEC have been investigating for more than four years the ways that banks and financial advisers fixed the bidding on investments sold to municipalities. Prosecutors say the conspiracy cost taxpayers by allowing banks to pay governments below-market rates. JPMorgan's penalties are the largest yet to result from the investigation, which also led to settlements with UBS AG and Bank of America Corp.”
Well, isn’t it nice that these “respectable” bankers “agreed” to pay a fine? Did they also “agree” that jail time was not necessary in their cases? After all, if they were innocent of these charges, why would they have “agreed” to pay fines? But, they “agreed” to pay. What does that say about guilt?
I believe something is rotten in the halls of justice when the powerful can waltz away free after allegedly committing fraud. Many of these bankers and financiers were bailed out by taxpayers’ dollars. Many of them have subsidiaries in offshore tax havens, and some of these powerful bankers have been known to advise governments on monetary policy. Meanwhile, there are over 40 million Americans on food stamps and an article of January 19, 2011, at prisonplanet.com, headlined: “The More Americans that Go On Food Stamps The More Money JP Morgan Makes,” is well worth reading. [4]
http://www.prisonplanet.com/the-more-americans-that-go-on-food-stamps-the-more-money-jp-morgan-makes.html
A woman in Michigan has been threatened with jail time for planting a vegetable garden in her front yard. [5] Perhaps, she would be treated differently if she was a banker? Many people have lost their jobs and homes, their pension funds are in the dumpster and their taxes helped bail out the perpetrators of their predicaments. Yet, the predicaments of the perpetrators are washed clean by them agreeing to pay fines! Are these perpetrators getting special treatment? No jail time has been handed down, yet unimportant people have gone to jail for much less. If there was any justice in the system surely some of these pin striped suited bankers should be doing hard time? Instead some of these bankers and financiers are flying around free as vulture birds and feeding off the misery and despair they created.
Stephen J. Gray
July 17, 2011.
Endnotes:
[1] http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aQWV0pN.Y1LQ&pos=1
[2] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-01/goldman-too-big-to-face-prosecution-over-mortgage-securities-hintz-says.html
[3] http://articles.sfgate.com/2011-07-08/business/29750189_1_bid-rigging-jpmorgan-chase-competitive-bidding
[4] http://www.prisonplanet.com/the-more-americans-that-go-on-food-stamps-the-more-money-jp-morgan-makes.html
[5] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/08/woman-jailed-for-vegetable-garden_n_893516.html
By Stephen J. Gray
“We participated in things that were clearly wrong and we have reason to regret and we apologize for them,…” Lloyd Blankfein, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs, quoted in Bloomberg News, November 18, 2009. [1]
Despite the alleged massive frauds perpetrated by financial scam artists in the sub-prime mortgage scandals none of the really big fish have gone to jail. The smell of corruption permeates the system, and yet the system appears to have accepted that some people are too big to fail or jail. An article in Bloomberg news of June 1, 2011, stated,
“ Goldman Sachs Group (GS) won’t face criminal prosecution related to sales of mortgage-linked securities because such a move could threaten the U.S. financial system, according to Brad Hintz, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.” [2]
Well excuse me, does this mean that the justice system hands down no jail time for the powerful but gives jail time to the powerless? The article went on to say: “In July, Goldman Sachs agreed to pay $550 million to settle a civil fraud suit by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that alleged the firm misled clients about a mortgage-linked investment.”
Goldman Sachs is not the only financial firm that has plenty of money to pay a fine but does not do any hard time. Here is an excerpt from the San Francisco Chronicle of July 8, 2011:
“JPMorgan Chase & Co. has agreed to pay $228 million to settle federal charges that the bank conspired to rig the bidding on investment contracts sold to state and local governments to boost its profits at taxpayer expense.” [3] The article went on to say:
“The Justice Department and the SEC have been investigating for more than four years the ways that banks and financial advisers fixed the bidding on investments sold to municipalities. Prosecutors say the conspiracy cost taxpayers by allowing banks to pay governments below-market rates. JPMorgan's penalties are the largest yet to result from the investigation, which also led to settlements with UBS AG and Bank of America Corp.”
Well, isn’t it nice that these “respectable” bankers “agreed” to pay a fine? Did they also “agree” that jail time was not necessary in their cases? After all, if they were innocent of these charges, why would they have “agreed” to pay fines? But, they “agreed” to pay. What does that say about guilt?
I believe something is rotten in the halls of justice when the powerful can waltz away free after allegedly committing fraud. Many of these bankers and financiers were bailed out by taxpayers’ dollars. Many of them have subsidiaries in offshore tax havens, and some of these powerful bankers have been known to advise governments on monetary policy. Meanwhile, there are over 40 million Americans on food stamps and an article of January 19, 2011, at prisonplanet.com, headlined: “The More Americans that Go On Food Stamps The More Money JP Morgan Makes,” is well worth reading. [4]
http://www.prisonplanet.com/the-more-americans-that-go-on-food-stamps-the-more-money-jp-morgan-makes.html
A woman in Michigan has been threatened with jail time for planting a vegetable garden in her front yard. [5] Perhaps, she would be treated differently if she was a banker? Many people have lost their jobs and homes, their pension funds are in the dumpster and their taxes helped bail out the perpetrators of their predicaments. Yet, the predicaments of the perpetrators are washed clean by them agreeing to pay fines! Are these perpetrators getting special treatment? No jail time has been handed down, yet unimportant people have gone to jail for much less. If there was any justice in the system surely some of these pin striped suited bankers should be doing hard time? Instead some of these bankers and financiers are flying around free as vulture birds and feeding off the misery and despair they created.
Stephen J. Gray
July 17, 2011.
Endnotes:
[1] http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aQWV0pN.Y1LQ&pos=1
[2] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-01/goldman-too-big-to-face-prosecution-over-mortgage-securities-hintz-says.html
[3] http://articles.sfgate.com/2011-07-08/business/29750189_1_bid-rigging-jpmorgan-chase-competitive-bidding
[4] http://www.prisonplanet.com/the-more-americans-that-go-on-food-stamps-the-more-money-jp-morgan-makes.html
[5] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/08/woman-jailed-for-vegetable-garden_n_893516.html
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Real Women Praises Harper
Real Women Praises Harper
By Stephen J. Gray
“Whether one supports the Conservative Party or not, it cannot be denied that Mr. Harper is an outstanding leader of his party.”
Page 8, Real Women of Canada, newsletter May/June 2011.
Mr. Harper is being touted as an “outstanding leader.” So let us examine what Mr. Harper the “outstanding leader” says and does on a number of issues:
Free Speech: “Human rights commissions, as they are evolving, are an attack on our fundamental freedoms and the basic existence of a democratic society,” says Stephen Harper, president of the National Citizens' Coalition. “It is in fact totalitarianism. I find this is very scary stuff.” [1]
Yet, the Harper government intervenes against free speech: “The Attorney General of Canada, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and B'nai Brith Canada will be intervening in the Lemire case in support of Section 13, arguing that it is a reasonable restriction on freedom of speech” (Canadian Constitution Foundation Letter of April 28, 2008).
Bilingualism: “As a religion, bilingualism is the god that failed. It has led to no fairness, produced no unity, and cost Canadian taxpayers untold millions.” (Stephen Harper) [2]
Now Mr. Harper says this: “My friends, for me a prime minister should speak French,” Harper said, calling French “the founding language of this country” (Source: The Gazette, Sept 8, 2008 [3]).
Same-sex marriage: “I don't see reopening this question [of same-sex marriage] in the future.” (Stephen Harper, CTV News Dec. 7, 2006 [4]).
Sexual orientation and its illegitimate offspring “same-sex marriage” were never in the Charter, yet we had the silly spectacle of a supposedly conservative government introducing a motion on this that they knew would be defeated. A government with principles would have used the not-withstanding clause to return sanity to this country. But unfortunately Mr. Harper is on record as saying, regarding this nonsense called same-sex marriage, “I will never use the notwithstanding clause on that issue” (Lifesite News December 16, 2005, [5]).
The Status of Women: This group achieved increased funding under the Harper Conservatives as witness the following quote from a minister’s speech: “As a demonstration of our firm commitment to the success of Status of Women Canada, Budget 2007 provided $10 million in funding to the Agency, bringing the total budget to $29.9 million, a record for Status of Women Canada” [emphasis added] (Speech for The Honorable Josée Verner, P.C., M.P., Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages, on the occasion of an appearance before the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, House of Commons, Ottawa, February 5, 2008, [6]).
Abortion: “The Conservative government won't be initiating or supporting abortion legislation, and I'll use whatever influence I have in Parliament to be sure that such a matter doesn't come to a vote…” (Stephen Harper, [7]).
And we thought we lived in a democracy? Or is it a hypocrisy?
And talking about hypocrisy, based on the evidence we have seen from Mr. Harper’s government, are they really a conservative government? Or is it back to the days of the Red Tories and the Mulroney government? A former Reform party member and MP had this to say about Mr. Harper: “he will be remembered as an opportunistic, masterful tactician who, in the course of only three years completely purged the Conservative party of its Reform ideals and restored the Mulroney model of government.” (Lee Morrison, former Reform M.P. in the Calgary Herald, September 14, 2008 [8]).
Furthermore, a former Mulroney supporter is now in “charge of various files…” Read this:
“[Senator] Ms. LeBreton is one of the women Mr. Harper put in Cabinet and trusts. She was a staunch Progressive Conservative, most closely tied to Brian Mulroney, and made it into Mr. Harper's inner circle despite her vocal opposition to his vision to unite the right (the former Reformer Party/Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservatives). Mr. Harper appointed her Conservative leader in the Senate and put her in charge of various files,...” (National Post, September 22, 2008).
This makes one wonder, is Ms. LeBreton now in charge of the abortion “file?” Ms. Breton has said this on abortion:
“… there are certain issues, particularly those that concern women and children, and those of particular concern to women, and here I will use the abortion issue as an example, where even if 99.9 per cent of the members of my party were going one way, I would not support any policy that did not give women the right to choose” (http://www.parl.gc.ca/infoparl/english/issue.htm?param=147&art=983).
And on the “right to choose,” Mr .Harper is on the record as saying this: “Let me be very clear on the positions I’ve have taken on that. I want there to be no misunderstanding. I’ve said repeatedly, that I will not, that my Conservative government will not be tabling any legislation impacting in any way a woman’s right to choose” (June 27, 2006, LifeSiteNews, http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jun/060627a.html).
Mr. Harper is now heading a majority government. But on moral issues is there really any difference between the “conservatives” and the other parties? Are we now immersed in “throw the dogs a bone politics” where we are being promised all kinds of goodies with our own tax dollars and moral issues are not even discussed? Are we back to what a former Reform M.P. called in his Calgary Herald article, “Liberal, Tory, same old story?” And will social conservative people buy the “story” that we have a “conservative” party?
For, as Andrew Coyne wrote in MacLean’s of September 10, 2008,
“…Harper's whole time in office has been spent reassuring the public he has no plans to lead them anywhere, that under a Conservative government nothing much would change — they would govern much like the Liberals,…” [9]
Stephen J. Gray
July 9, 2011.
Endnotes:
[1] http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/09/20/harper-must-act-now-to-protect-free-speech/
[2] http://gerrynicholls.blogspot.com/2008/03/bilingualism-harpers-new-god.html
[3] http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=5cc31fca-80a5-448b-ab5b-ffce081a7502
[4] http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061207/samesexmarriage_vote_061207/20061207?hub=TopStories
[5] http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/dec/05121606.html).
[6] http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/med/spe-dis/2008/0205-eng.html
[7] http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jan/06011707.html
[8] http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=55305055-5bff-4b78-8427-7f3c15bcd213
[9] http://www.macleans.ca/canada/national/article.jsp?content=20080910_115261_115261
By Stephen J. Gray
“Whether one supports the Conservative Party or not, it cannot be denied that Mr. Harper is an outstanding leader of his party.”
Page 8, Real Women of Canada, newsletter May/June 2011.
Mr. Harper is being touted as an “outstanding leader.” So let us examine what Mr. Harper the “outstanding leader” says and does on a number of issues:
Free Speech: “Human rights commissions, as they are evolving, are an attack on our fundamental freedoms and the basic existence of a democratic society,” says Stephen Harper, president of the National Citizens' Coalition. “It is in fact totalitarianism. I find this is very scary stuff.” [1]
Yet, the Harper government intervenes against free speech: “The Attorney General of Canada, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the Canadian Jewish Congress, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and B'nai Brith Canada will be intervening in the Lemire case in support of Section 13, arguing that it is a reasonable restriction on freedom of speech” (Canadian Constitution Foundation Letter of April 28, 2008).
Bilingualism: “As a religion, bilingualism is the god that failed. It has led to no fairness, produced no unity, and cost Canadian taxpayers untold millions.” (Stephen Harper) [2]
Now Mr. Harper says this: “My friends, for me a prime minister should speak French,” Harper said, calling French “the founding language of this country” (Source: The Gazette, Sept 8, 2008 [3]).
Same-sex marriage: “I don't see reopening this question [of same-sex marriage] in the future.” (Stephen Harper, CTV News Dec. 7, 2006 [4]).
Sexual orientation and its illegitimate offspring “same-sex marriage” were never in the Charter, yet we had the silly spectacle of a supposedly conservative government introducing a motion on this that they knew would be defeated. A government with principles would have used the not-withstanding clause to return sanity to this country. But unfortunately Mr. Harper is on record as saying, regarding this nonsense called same-sex marriage, “I will never use the notwithstanding clause on that issue” (Lifesite News December 16, 2005, [5]).
The Status of Women: This group achieved increased funding under the Harper Conservatives as witness the following quote from a minister’s speech: “As a demonstration of our firm commitment to the success of Status of Women Canada, Budget 2007 provided $10 million in funding to the Agency, bringing the total budget to $29.9 million, a record for Status of Women Canada” [emphasis added] (Speech for The Honorable Josée Verner, P.C., M.P., Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages, on the occasion of an appearance before the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, House of Commons, Ottawa, February 5, 2008, [6]).
Abortion: “The Conservative government won't be initiating or supporting abortion legislation, and I'll use whatever influence I have in Parliament to be sure that such a matter doesn't come to a vote…” (Stephen Harper, [7]).
And we thought we lived in a democracy? Or is it a hypocrisy?
And talking about hypocrisy, based on the evidence we have seen from Mr. Harper’s government, are they really a conservative government? Or is it back to the days of the Red Tories and the Mulroney government? A former Reform party member and MP had this to say about Mr. Harper: “he will be remembered as an opportunistic, masterful tactician who, in the course of only three years completely purged the Conservative party of its Reform ideals and restored the Mulroney model of government.” (Lee Morrison, former Reform M.P. in the Calgary Herald, September 14, 2008 [8]).
Furthermore, a former Mulroney supporter is now in “charge of various files…” Read this:
“[Senator] Ms. LeBreton is one of the women Mr. Harper put in Cabinet and trusts. She was a staunch Progressive Conservative, most closely tied to Brian Mulroney, and made it into Mr. Harper's inner circle despite her vocal opposition to his vision to unite the right (the former Reformer Party/Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservatives). Mr. Harper appointed her Conservative leader in the Senate and put her in charge of various files,...” (National Post, September 22, 2008).
This makes one wonder, is Ms. LeBreton now in charge of the abortion “file?” Ms. Breton has said this on abortion:
“… there are certain issues, particularly those that concern women and children, and those of particular concern to women, and here I will use the abortion issue as an example, where even if 99.9 per cent of the members of my party were going one way, I would not support any policy that did not give women the right to choose” (http://www.parl.gc.ca/infoparl/english/issue.htm?param=147&art=983).
And on the “right to choose,” Mr .Harper is on the record as saying this: “Let me be very clear on the positions I’ve have taken on that. I want there to be no misunderstanding. I’ve said repeatedly, that I will not, that my Conservative government will not be tabling any legislation impacting in any way a woman’s right to choose” (June 27, 2006, LifeSiteNews, http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jun/060627a.html).
Mr. Harper is now heading a majority government. But on moral issues is there really any difference between the “conservatives” and the other parties? Are we now immersed in “throw the dogs a bone politics” where we are being promised all kinds of goodies with our own tax dollars and moral issues are not even discussed? Are we back to what a former Reform M.P. called in his Calgary Herald article, “Liberal, Tory, same old story?” And will social conservative people buy the “story” that we have a “conservative” party?
For, as Andrew Coyne wrote in MacLean’s of September 10, 2008,
“…Harper's whole time in office has been spent reassuring the public he has no plans to lead them anywhere, that under a Conservative government nothing much would change — they would govern much like the Liberals,…” [9]
Stephen J. Gray
July 9, 2011.
Endnotes:
[1] http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/09/20/harper-must-act-now-to-protect-free-speech/
[2] http://gerrynicholls.blogspot.com/2008/03/bilingualism-harpers-new-god.html
[3] http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=5cc31fca-80a5-448b-ab5b-ffce081a7502
[4] http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061207/samesexmarriage_vote_061207/20061207?hub=TopStories
[5] http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/dec/05121606.html).
[6] http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/med/spe-dis/2008/0205-eng.html
[7] http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jan/06011707.html
[8] http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=55305055-5bff-4b78-8427-7f3c15bcd213
[9] http://www.macleans.ca/canada/national/article.jsp?content=20080910_115261_115261
Thursday, July 7, 2011
An Imaginary Letter of Thanks from CPC to CPC
An Imaginary Letter of Thanks from CPC to CPC
(Satire) By Stephen J. Gray
“Dear Comrades in the Conservative Party of Canada(CPC) I would like to thank you for your best wishes to the Communist Party of China(CPC) on our 90th anniversary. I notice we have the same initials CPC and surely this is a good omen between us. I hope that you also can attain a 90th anniversary of your CPC. You have a great leader in your country just like we have in ours. He does not accept any dissent in the party and neither do we. The people need vigilance and control if there is to be any great leap forward and I am sure they will get it from your and our comrade leader. One must rule the people with strength and vigour. They need a forceful hand and this must always be used with firmness. Your great leader impresses us with his dogmatic statements. I personally liked his stance on your abortion issue, where he stated: ‘This government will not open, will not permit anyone to open the abortion debate.’ He sounds like he is in complete charge of your country and a very strong man, and a strong man does not need to be democratic. He must be like a wise father who knows what is best for his children who are the people of the country. Chairman Mao was our wise and strong father and his legacy is still with us. Now you have a Chairman of your own who will bring accountability to your country.
“I hear that your party is sometimes called the Red Tories and we have been called Red China. So you see there is another nice coincidence. You have been called Red and we have been called Red so our colors could be called compatible. Did I make silly joke? Ha Ha, He, He, no offense comrades. I hear your CPC is a big defender of human rights just like our CPC. We believe free speech is not a right and your government has intervened against free speech so once again our policies are somewhat similar. Your great CPC leader has appointed party members and losers to your politburo, pardon me I believe you call it the Senate. Anyway, not much difference, it is a place for party supporters who are losers but need a place to sleep, same as here. Please, just another joke ha, ha, he, he, no offense please. I see also you handle demonstrators much like us. We used tanks as in Tiananmen Square to control them. You used other methods in the Toronto Square against G20 protestors, perhaps you should try using tanks they work well. Still, the relations between our countries are very good and I am sure we can learn from each other. It is so good to have CPC comrades in this world today where there is so much misery and unhappiness. Your letter gave us so much happiness that we cried tears of joy knowing we were accepted by your CPC. We, who have received so much criticism are now treated with respect and acclaim by your CPC. Chairman Mao must be smiling wherever he is, vindicated at last by the great CPC and its great leader Chairman of the Majority in the land across the sea.”
Yours Very Truly
A Comrade of the CPC to the Comrades of the CPC
Stephen J. Gray
July 7, 2011.
(Satire) By Stephen J. Gray
“Dear Comrades in the Conservative Party of Canada(CPC) I would like to thank you for your best wishes to the Communist Party of China(CPC) on our 90th anniversary. I notice we have the same initials CPC and surely this is a good omen between us. I hope that you also can attain a 90th anniversary of your CPC. You have a great leader in your country just like we have in ours. He does not accept any dissent in the party and neither do we. The people need vigilance and control if there is to be any great leap forward and I am sure they will get it from your and our comrade leader. One must rule the people with strength and vigour. They need a forceful hand and this must always be used with firmness. Your great leader impresses us with his dogmatic statements. I personally liked his stance on your abortion issue, where he stated: ‘This government will not open, will not permit anyone to open the abortion debate.’ He sounds like he is in complete charge of your country and a very strong man, and a strong man does not need to be democratic. He must be like a wise father who knows what is best for his children who are the people of the country. Chairman Mao was our wise and strong father and his legacy is still with us. Now you have a Chairman of your own who will bring accountability to your country.
“I hear that your party is sometimes called the Red Tories and we have been called Red China. So you see there is another nice coincidence. You have been called Red and we have been called Red so our colors could be called compatible. Did I make silly joke? Ha Ha, He, He, no offense comrades. I hear your CPC is a big defender of human rights just like our CPC. We believe free speech is not a right and your government has intervened against free speech so once again our policies are somewhat similar. Your great CPC leader has appointed party members and losers to your politburo, pardon me I believe you call it the Senate. Anyway, not much difference, it is a place for party supporters who are losers but need a place to sleep, same as here. Please, just another joke ha, ha, he, he, no offense please. I see also you handle demonstrators much like us. We used tanks as in Tiananmen Square to control them. You used other methods in the Toronto Square against G20 protestors, perhaps you should try using tanks they work well. Still, the relations between our countries are very good and I am sure we can learn from each other. It is so good to have CPC comrades in this world today where there is so much misery and unhappiness. Your letter gave us so much happiness that we cried tears of joy knowing we were accepted by your CPC. We, who have received so much criticism are now treated with respect and acclaim by your CPC. Chairman Mao must be smiling wherever he is, vindicated at last by the great CPC and its great leader Chairman of the Majority in the land across the sea.”
Yours Very Truly
A Comrade of the CPC to the Comrades of the CPC
Stephen J. Gray
July 7, 2011.
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