Hello Kevin.

18 Jan 06 17:07, you wrote to me:

 KF> Indeed.  And the "Conservatives" are not the TORIES. 
When the media
 KF> immediately started calling them the "Tories" after they swallowed
 KF> what was left of the PC party I groaned.  And too many people bought
 KF> it.  This is NOT the Tories of old.

Unfortunately, there's no party like the old PC's around anymore. I looked
at the Progressive Canada party, but was not impressed.

 KF> What bothers me most is the "hidden agenda" of this party.  And
 KF> I'm
 KF> not quoting Martin with this either...they DO have a hidden agenda.
 KF> Even Kim Campbell and Joe Clark have mentioned how unpalatable the new
 KF> Conservative Party's "social conservativism" is.

From my point of view, there's no one party that really represents my
personal views. I consider myself a Libertarian, which means I feel very
strongly about the importance of protecting individual rights and freedoms.
However, I am a /progressive/ Libertarian; meaning I am also in favor of
progressive social policy (to a point; not so far as the NDP wants to go,
however). Unfortunately, the "Libertarian Party" of Canada is
socially conservative, and in my view, some of their policies strongly
conflict with true Libertarianism.

The Liberals have on occasion represented these values, but they've been
too much all over the map, trying to please everyone. They lack direction.
The conservatives have on /very/ rare occasions represented some of those
views, and so have the Reformers in the past. The old PC party was close to
it, before Mulroney ruined that party.

About the closest leadership candidate in years that I have seen that
closely represented my views was David Orchard, when he ran for the PC
leadership before the merger. Unfortunately, he lacked charisma, which
seems to be a prerequisite for a political leader these days, and so he
lost to that back-stabbing weasel Peter Mackay.

 KF> I won't be so politically correct about it...I call it what it
 KF> is:  religious fundamentalism.  THAT bothers me. They really
 KF> tried to stuff Stockwell
 KF> Day back in the closed when he let his nutty religious flag fly, but
 KF> they've kept Harper on a short leash.  But that doesn't mean it's
 KF> still there.

All I can say is, thank God it's a minority, and a weak one, at that.

 KF> I agree.  I admit, I'm pretty damned angry at Martin.  Once again his
 KF> party has the RCMP looking into things, and this time right in the
 KF> middle of an election.

That was a bit of dirty pool by the NDP. The RCMP had no evidence
whatsoever and weren't even going to launch an investigation, until the NDP
requested that they do so. The RCMP as a matter of policy automatically
launches an investigation into the government's dealings whenever any
member of an opposition party in Canada requests that they do so.

 KF> What a nice present for Stephen Harper...but I'd rather have
 KF> Martin, the devil I know, instead of Harper. I'd take
 KF> Bozo the Clown over Harper at this point, or that transvestite
 KF> "Enza" from Toronto (the one that ran for city hall a few years
 KF> back along with Tooker Gomberg).

Well, I'm glad that Martin stepped down. Maybe now we'll get a leader with
real direction and vision. Hopefully it won't be the same old tired
pro-Chretien gang, like Tobin or Lord or Manley, but someone new who's
never thrown their hat in the leadership ring before. Personally, I think
that Ralph Goodale could be a good candidate. He's come out of the
investment bullshit "investigation" looking squeaky-clean.

 MG>> Yet when the interest rates go through the roof and the economy
 MG>> goes into the toilet, oh how they will whine...

 KF> Yeah, and when their sons get shipped off to Iraq (and probably
 KF> Iran)... Here in Ontario it usually takes "personal inconvenience"
 KF> coming home to the goddamned 905-ers before any political change
 KF> happens.  The 905-ers were happier-n-shit about Harris until his
 KF> Fraserite dogma started cutting into their SUV-driven personal lives.
 KF> And the 905-ers always seem to hold the bulk of the votes here,
 KF> overriding every other part of Ontario.

What I find laughable is how the Quebequers acted. What were they so pissed
at the Liberals for? For trying to buy their votes. What did Stephen Harper
do? Buy their votes. It doesn't matter if it was campaign promises or
backroom dealing, it amounts to the same thing.


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