Our justice system is a miserable failure

When it comes to protecting children, and especially sexually abused children, our system is disgusting.  A Quebec court of appeals has reduced a pedophile's sentance from 15 to 9 years because the crime wasn't violent enough to deserve the maximum.  Never mind that he'll only do maybe 5 years, the guy sexually assulted his own daughter for 2 years starting when she was 2.

When the court reduced that sentence on Tuesday, Côté cited the man's young age and the fact that he has only one other criminal conviction (for sexually assaulting another child when he was 17).

The prosecution's case was based on roughly 5,000 pictures and 5,000 videos found on the man's computer, some featuring very young children.

This story makes me want to throw up.   What's wrong with people?  A life sentance wouldn't have been too harsh for a guy like this.

Don't act so surprised

As if we didn't know this already: 

 

A new biography of the former prime minister, whom Canadians have long been taught to regard as a great liberal politician, reveals that as a youth and young man, Mr. Trudeau was an anti-Semite, admired fascist dictators such as Hitler and Mussolini, promoted revolution and longed for an independent and Catholic Quebec that would be home only to francophones

Elections matter

Tories to introduce legislation limiting new appointed senators to 8 years.  Outstanding, and long overdue.

Asked when there would be a full elected Senate, CTV's Ottawa bureau chief Robert Fife said: "Somewhere before hell freezes over."

Changing the Senate to an elected model would require a constitutional amendment, with at least seven provinces representing at least 50 per cent of the population signing on, he said, adding, "no one wants to open that basket of crabs."  Ontario and Saskatchewan would like the Senate abolished, he said.

Asked why Prime Minister Stephen Harper might be making these changes, Fife said to get the ball rolling on reforming the institution, but "he's also sending a very subtle message to the Liberal-dominated Senate -- if they obstruct his government's agenda, he'll go to the people to get a mandate to force constitutional change."

The Canadian Press Gallery

So the PM doesn't want to talk to the Ottawa Press Gallery, and they are mad because the want to ask questions he doesn't want to answer.  Or at least the PMO wants to pick the questioners.  Ooooo the drama. 

 

Can't..stay...awake...

 

Here's Paul Wells' speech from a while ago on the Press Gallery.  Interesting to read, and funny, if you care. 

What can you do...

...but shake your head and resolve never to vote for people who appoint or  support Human Rights Tribunals like this one:

 

A group that supports transgender rights is applauding a "precedent-setting" decision by the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario that gives transsexuals who are strip-searched by police the right to choose between male or female officers or both to perform the act.

The ruling, which stems from a complaint by a man who was in the process of becoming a woman, is a "win-win" for both transsexuals and police, said Laurie Arron of Egale Canada, a group that advocates equality for homosexual, bisexual and transgender people.

In its decision, the tribunal found the strip-searches constituted unintentional discrimination on the basis of sex.

The ruling, issued May 16, also sets out directions for officers who have doubts that a detainee is transsexual, and ordered Peel police to produce a training video on transsexuality for its members.

"It upholds the human rights of trans-people, and the police training will help everyone to get along better," Arron said.

If I were a police officer, I'd want to quit and pursue a normal line of work...

 

Harper in majority territory

Via Bourque:  Ipsos: Con 43% Lib 25% Ndp 15% Bq 9% Grn 5%

• Quebec: B: 38 C 35 L 14
• Ontario: C 42 L 38 NDP 11
• BC: C 48 NDP 26 L 20

The poll found the Conservatives are enjoying their highest level of public support in nearly 20 years -- since Brian Mulroney's government was returned to office with a second majority victory in the November 1988 election.  "Basically what's happening is that Stephen Harper is re-creating the Brian Mulroney majority," Ipsos Reid president Darrell Bricker said in an interview.  "And the way he is doing that is by breaking through in the province of Quebec. It's very much that kind of coalition -- Quebec and the West.

Don't worry

There's good news for the young and hopelessly naive and liberal: You'll get over it.

Politics in Ottawa? Why I never...

Harper may have used Afghan vote to ensare Ignatieff:

After narrowly winning the vote to prolong the risky Afghanistan mission, a triumphant Stephen Harper crossed the floor of the Commons and threaded his way to the back of the Liberal benches to shake hands with Michael Ignatieff.   The prime minister's gesture may well turn out to be the political equivalent of the kiss of death for Ignatieff's bid to lead the Liberal party.

 

That may be a little dramatic and paranoid, but an interesting theory, none the less. 

Manning wont run

This is a huge disappointment: apparently Preston Manning will announce today that he wont seek the leadership of the Alberta Tories.  He would easily have been the frontrunner and a virtual lock on becoming leader and premier.  Boooo-urns.

Coyne: why would we trust Liberals again?

A very good question, in light of the recent AG report, and all the files on which there was little or no action. 

 

So in some ways, the Auditor-General's latest report is the most damning of all. There is no way to deny or minimize the stark reality of what it contains: Liberal cabinet ministers colluded in a scheme of deception -- fraud is another word -- to hide the mounting costs of the gun registry. They did so, what is more, not to avoid mere embarrassment or criticism, but to defy the will of Parliament. Having been told they could not spend more than a certain figure, they did, and cooked the books to conceal what they had done.

 

Read the whole thing.  If Canadians get used to a government doing what it says it will do, the Liberal party is going to need some serious reworking.

Got to love this headline

Death knell for Gun Registry.

 

Let's hope so.

elections matter

Our government is cracking down on terrorism and making good decisions, according to Frontpagemag.com

Round up

Indian affairs minister Jim Prentice is being urged to bring back Chretien era legislation.  Which would be a good thing.

The governance act, which died in 2003, would have required native bands to adopt minimum standards of accountability such as holding regular elections and publishing financial records. The bill, which had been put forward under former prime minister Jean Chrétien's leadership, was rejected by then prime minister Paul Martin.

 

I'd sure like to see this poll question: apparently 2/3 of Canadians want to keep the gun registry.

 

''The concept of a gun registry has taken root across the country. There's a majority, 67 per cent, that's not a small majority, who believe that Stephen Harper shouldn't be doing away with all gun registries.''

Oh - well if you ask if the government should get rid of all gun resistries and let chaos reign, what did you think we'd say?  What a bogus survey and story.

Finally, an interesting survey of demographics and ideology: who knew conservative people have more kids?  I mean really, this is news?

... in the so-called red states that voted for George W. Bush, the fertility rate is 12 per cent higher than in the blue states that supported John Kerry...in the 1950s about 10 per cent of women were childless. That number is now 20 per cent...And finally people who support gay marriage, euthanasia and legalized abortion tend to have one child.

The end result of this for the liberal state could be dubbed the revenge of the empty cradle.

You think all that stuff in movies is made up...

...and then you read something like this: FBI raids CIA official's home and office:

Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, formerly the third-ranking official at the spy agency, announced his retirement earlier this week. He has been linked to a probe into possible corruption involving agency contracts, but denies any wrongdoing.

elections matter

Conservatives to make it easier to adopt foreign children and bring them to Canada

Gun registry expose

The Auditor General of Canada will release a report on Tuesday, highlighting the problems with the Liberal gun registry that continued even after her 2002 condemnation of waste and hidden costs.  Contracts were hidden from parliament and nothing substantial was done for three years to fix the serious problems.  And wouldn't you know it, the issues were primarily IT related, with huge cost overruns and problems selecting a vendor.  What a mess.

Iran wants war?

That's David Frum's conclusion via the New York Post.  He figures the letter sent to President Bush was aimed at Muslims, and that there really is a covert declaration of "convert to Islam or be conquered".  Let's hope either a) Frum is wrong or b) Bush and his team get the message.

elections matter

"This government stands ready and is in consultation with our friends in the international community to do whatever is necessary to advance the peace process in Darfur," Harper told Parliament.  "If that involves sending troops, that will be an option that we consider."

 

Iraq is a mess

Over 1000 people where killed in Baghdad last month, according to the president of Iraq.  Between terrorism, sectarian violence, and crime, Baghdad must be considered a near disaster.

 

Having said that I'm still hopeful that we will look back in five years and say it was all worth it and that things got much better.  At every major point in history things looked bleak before they got better, and hopefully that trend will hold here as well.

Terrorist attack likely: CSIS

The head of Canada's spy agency has warned that while the threat from al Qaeda remains strongest overseas, a terror attack on Canadian soil is "now probable."

But lest you think it has something to do with recent events: Al Qaeda included Canada on a list of target countries in both November 2002 and March 2004.

RCMP claims it is underfunded

Their budget has doubled in the last 7 years, yet they still don't have the resources to fight more than 1/3 of organized crime, according to the top guy.  So were they drastically underfunded before, or are they not allocating resources properly now?  Another interesting note is the apparent collaboration between oraganized crime and terrorist organizations - does that mean that we are only aware of or combating roughly 1/3 of terrorist organizations operating in Canada?

The Harper effect

He's changing the game:  Along with making a job Paul Martin made look so hard seem so easy, Harper is changing the federal landscape. Suddenly, Ontario has less clout than its 106 seats suggest, Quebec is now the province that could deliver a majority rather than inflict perpetual minorities, and the loose coalition of ex-urbanite, rural and other small-c conservative voters is proving an effective electoral counterweight to big cities.

Analysts and sore losers point to everything from the first-past-the-post system to the wild disparities between the power of a single vote in, say, downtown Toronto and the hinterland. But that doesn't matter as much as the realization that Harper and those around him have found new ways to look at old political problems and are turning those insights to their advantage.

 

Black defends Bush

Conrad Black wrote a letter to Macleans in response to a recent article claiming that George Bush is the worst President in 100 years.  He makes some good points...

File under "duh"

Libs in no hurry to bring down Harper's government; Federal Liberals say they will vote against Prime Minister Harper's budget, but no one seriously wants to defeat the Conservatives before the next Grit convention.

Why the US must stay in Iraq

This is a horrible story of cruelty, and the break down of law and order.  It's enough to make you sick, that people can act this way.  (h/t David Frum)

 

How much worse would it be if the US left suddenly?  Regardless of whether or not they should have invaded or how many mistakes they've made so far, we should all be able to agree that until Iraq gets on its feet and is able to maintain some semblance of law and order, the international community must stay.

The Harper Budget

The first Harper budget is balanced and all about tax relief, in so many small portions it's nearly impossible to keep track of.  The Globe has as good a summary as I've seen so far:

• 29 tax saving measures, $35-billion in overall spending/tax relief (lowest rate increases from 15 to 15.5 - why not just leave it!  Maybe there will be a house amendment here)
• $8.67-billion in two years for 1 percentage point GST cut, but still an $8-billion surplus
• $3.6-billion for child benefit ($100 a month per child) effective July 1
• $3.3-billion to provinces for post-secondary education, housing and other issues.
• $1.6-billion on community security, border and health
• $1.5-billion for agriculture
• $1.4-billion for policing, border security and public safety
• $1.3-billion for infrastructure
• $1.12-billion in the next two years for defence for recruitment and buying equipment

Business likes it, as should most tax payers (up to $795 per person?).  Overall the budget is very, very complex, but that's the nature of a modern budget and the extent to which government intrudes in to every area of life.  It cuts spending (!), but has some stuff in there for the left too, (post secondary, housing, etc).  Native groups are happy with it, given the committments.  The left wont be, but that's to be expected.  The Bloq are apparently going to support it, while the Liberal will no doubt oppose it.

 

Has anyone noticed that since this budget cuts spending and taxes, we are moving to the fiscal right of the US?  But our taxes are still much higher than theirs, so maybe not. 

 

And in other news, the Conservatives are ahead of the Bloq in Quebec , 35-31.  Wow.  Oh, and then there's this on the fiscal imbalance.  Classical federalsim, and a radical change from the Liberal view.  Wow the Globe really has good coverage today.

Bush the comedian

I finally found it!  YouTube.com is outstanding.  You have to watch this video of Bush with his twin saying what he's really thinking.  Very, very funny.

The Harper Budget

I hope this pans out: Looks like there will be a middle class tax cut in addition to the GST cut.  And spending cuts!  Imagine that.  A government that has enough courage to cut spending.  Wonders never cease.

 

Also of interest, $320 Million in additional foreign aid, $100M for crime fighting, and lots of new money for the millitary.  This could be an excellent, excellent, budget.