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Pierre-Karl Peladeau and Gilles Duceppe, as well as the mayor of Quebec City, Regis Lebeaume, all have one common goal; to bring an NHL franchise back to Quebec City. In order to accomplish this, NHL commissioner, Gary Bettman has made clear to Lebeaume that a new arena is essential before he can even consider a new team for Quebec City, a deal needs to be in the works for the construction of a new arena. La Colisee is old and falling apart; same problem that existed when the Nordiques left in 1995 for Colorado.   They all want and need federal dollars to build this new arena. Furthermore, they argue that this new arena would help them in yet another bid for the winter Olympic games in 2022. Yeesh! When will they ever learn?  Sweater vest Steve has not committed either way to this project.

Last night, I read an interesting column from Norman Spector. Now, normally, he writes insipid drivel, but this one offers an interesting theory as to why Pierre Karl Peladeau is so gung-ho about getting his Fox News North out on the airwaves in spite of the fact many critics wonder if such a conservative outfit can even get the sponsors and even make money. Spector, basically, seems to think that Peladeau’s 24 hour Harpercon brown nosing channel will get the federal dollars to pay for this arena.  Furthermore, He gives a precedent where this kind of journalistic brown nosing helped Asper.

What’s been missing from the discussion of an additional all-news network in Canada is the quid pro quo: what does Pierre Karl Péladeau get out of this? Surely, this is not just about getting the right to introduce another cable network in Canada, which, even if it succeeds – a big if – will not make megabucks. And, while everyone would like to have the influence that comes from having your own media horn to toot – which, in Mr. Péladeau’s case, includes tooting back at Paul Desmarais and his family – there must be something more to it.

There is.

For the Asper family, ownership of the Conservative-friendly National Post was the ticket to government funding for a human-rights museum in Winnipeg. (Who knows what other funding would have flowed had Izzy lived longer?) Mr. Péladeau’s personal priority is pedestrian: the return of hockey to Quebec City. The price of his support for the Conservatives is a new arena in that city, which is the NHL’s price of admission for the franchise Mr. Péladeau would like to own and converge with his media properties.

Ok, fine, it’s also not the first time we’ve heard Junior expressing interest in bring hockey back to Quebec City, as well as Gilles Duceppe and the Mayor Regis Lebeaume. I’m sure many fans want the same thing. However, is this all simply a romantic notion and very little to do with business smarts? Let’s take a trip down memory lane and get a reminder as to why the Nordiques ended leaving for Colorado in the first place, shall we?

For the 1994–95 season, Marc Crawford was hired as the new head coach, and Forsberg was deemed ready to finally join the team, but first there was the problem of a lockout. In the shortened season of 48 games, the Nordiques played well and finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference. However, the team faltered in the post season and was eliminated in the first round by the defending Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers.

The playoff loss proved to be the Nordiques’ swan song in the NHL as the team’s financial troubles increasingly took centre stage, even in the face of renewed fan support over the previous three years. The league’s Canadian teams (with the exception of Montreal, Toronto, and to a lesser extent, Vancouver) found it difficult to compete in a new age of rising player salaries, which was made even more difficult by a weakening Canadian dollar (the Canadian teams’ revenues are earned in Canadian dollars, but player salaries are paid in US dollars). Quebec City was also by far the smallest market in the league, and the second-smallest market in North America to support a major-league team (behind only Green Bay, Wisconsin). Additionally, Quebec City is a virtually monolingual francophone city. Unlike in Montreal, nearly all public address announcements were only given in French. Then as now, there were no privately-owned English-language radio stations, and only one privately-owned English language television station. The only English-language newspaper was a weekly. These factors severely limited the Nordiques’ marketability in the anglophone market even in their best years. While the Nordiques had a fairly loyal fan base, it was not enough for them to be viable in the new environment.

Aubut asked for a bailout from Quebec’s provincial government, but the request was turned down, as few were willing to be seen as subsidizing a hockey club that paid multi million-dollar salaries. In May 1995, shortly after the Nordiques were eliminated from the playoffs, Aubut explained that he had no other choice but to sell the team to a group of investors in Denver, Colorado.

Well, don’t most of these issues mentioned above, still exist today?  New arena or La Colisee?  Public relations specialist and former aid to Marcel Aubut, Luc Ouellet believes the market in Quebec City is just too small for an NHL team in Quebec City and that folks just won’t pay 100$ for the admissions.

So, to get this straight, Peladeau is insistent on having a Fox News North which would be a 24/7 infomercial for the Harpercons which many believe will not get the subscribers, nor the sponsors necessary to be profitable just so he can get the federal government to cough up the dough needed to build a new arena so he can have a new NHL team in Quebec City, which would also more than likely, not make money?  More evidence that perhaps Junior is not the savvy businessman many would lead us to believe he is. And he really isn’t, you know.

Junior did have to declare bankruptcy in his first year of business with the old man’s premier asset, the printing company, Quebecor World. Ok, fine, the printing industry is dying due to the changing technology toward an electronic world.  However, was running that printing empire into the ground deliberate on his part? When I was in training in estimation and management for the printing industry, my estimation instructor knew old man Peladeau quite well, or so he told us.  The instructor,  much like the Peladeaus, was an anti-union, anti-labor law, Mario Dumont cheerleader wingnut who spoke fondly of the old man, but never had much use for Junior.  Every so often in class, he would express disappointment at how Junior for his mishandling of Quebecor World.

Also, Fagstein briefly goes over some of Junior’s business failings in his posting from May 14, 2009.  Click the link, it’s worth the read.

Is this a case of simply a spoiled brat wanting his toys at any cost?  That seems to make the most sense to me.

And what a hypocrite he is!  Forget that he wants every cable and satellite subscriber to pay for his Fox News; not very conservative or libertarian of him. Never mind that obviously typical Conservative hypocrisy of demanding tax payers to fork over millions of dollars to build something as frivolous as an arena (I mean, really, Junior, didn’t Daddy teach you the free markets were supposed to take care of that?).  But how about that failed bid to buy the Montreal Canadiens in 2009? That anti-union boss who has kept Journal de Montreal writers locked out and by-passed Quebec’s anti-scab laws to keep the paper going, was being supported by none other than the Fonds de Solidarite of the FTQ - FTQ  one of Quebec’s biggest labour unions! Needless to say, that bid didn’t go over well with many factions. No matter, the Molson brothers entered the bidding war late and won.

This leads me to my next question. Had Peladeau’s bid for the Habs been successful, would he even be interested in purchasing some financially insolvent NHL team from the southern United States to bring to Quebec City? Would he be pushing so hard to put his televised blogging supposiTories on the airwaves?

And for another angle, what if the Liberals were in power? In an elaborate effort to suck up for federal dollars for his arena, would Junior be pushing a channel that was Liberal-friendly?

But there is another player. Gilles Duceppe also wants an NHL team back in Quebec City and is also pressuring the Harpercons to fork over federal dough to build this arena. But for him, the motivations are more tranparent than those of Junior Peladeau. It’s all about Quebec Nationalist Pride.  One must question, how badly does he want this? How does this serve him? The NattyPo’s Kelly McParland seems to think that Gilles Duceppe wins whether master Steve forks over the dough for this arena or not.

The guy can’t lose. He gets to march around his home province, the only one he cares about, railing about how Quebec gets shafted because it doesn’t have an arena in the National Capital (that being Quebec City) because the filthy federalists are too busy spending their simulus money (argent stimulusse) in parts of the country where they speak some foreign language like English. Everyone listening to Radio-Canada nods and agrees: “That’s right! If we were independent, we’d have a great big arena in Quebec and our team would only speak French and we’d win the Stanley Cup eight times out of 10, because when you’re independent, you win the Stanley Cup.”)

That’s good for Duceppe. It’s also good for Duceppe if Harper says no, pointing out, for instance, that Edmonton would also like a new arena but is doing its best to find a way to pay for it without begging Ottawa to play sugar daddy. And when Winnipeg decided it needed a new arena in hopes it might lure the NHL back to town, it just went ahead and built one.

For a conservative non-Quebecer, McParland seems to get the workings of a separatist mind some of the time. It’s true that they think that if we were independent, our hockey teams would not only be solvent, but win every Stanley Cup. Hell, didn’t the separatists use the performances of Quebec athletes at the Vancouver Olympics as another argument for sovereignty? They even managed to turn the Harpercons’ promoting of federal parks to eighth graders into a federalist plot.

Yes, for Duceppe it is win-win.  I think that Steve will agree to footing the bulk of the 400 million dollar bill, courtesy of the beleaguered tax payers, yet again as pork barreling is what Master Steve does best. Most of his Quebec seats are in and around the Quebec City area. As McParland points out, Duceppe can take full credit and make new friends. I might also add that if Steve says no to the project, that honestly, I hope he does (Sorry Hockey fans, the Nordiques weren’t solvent before; the market wasn’t there before; I don’t see anything that has changed that. We’re in a recession. I can think of better ways for the tax payers to spend 400 million dollars. If Peladeau wants that arena bad enough, then he should get a consortium together and bankroll it himself, like a good con should),  Duceppe still wins. He has more ammunition to fuel his sovereignty cause and, dare I say it, perhaps even be able to unseat some of those Harpercon  Greater Quebec City area seats in the next federal election?

But is it that simple? If Stevie Spiteful oks this pork barreling, which I’m sure he will, what will it cost Duceppe?  In spite of the fact that this funding would pretty much ensure that he keeps his Quebec City seats, he would surely demand something of Duceppe. Would Duceppe prop up the Harpercons’ poison pills until the spring when the predicted date of a federal election would take place?  If an election were held sooner rather than later? What if the Liberals won?  Would Iggy,  agree to spending 400 million dollars on an arena in Quebec City? Whether or not the Liberals would go for that would depend largely in part whether or not the NDP would support it or not. I’m not so sure that they would.  We can pretty much guess that a Liberal government would let the chips fall where they may with the CRTC regarding whether or not Fox News North comes to light or not.

As I’ve mentioned above, I hope that tax-payers are not left footing the bill for this arena. Bidding for the winter olympics is a bad idea.  We only finished paying off the Montreal summer games a few years ago.  Our stadium still continues to be a safety hazard and many (myself included)  are now advocating for blowing the damned thing up.

The good citizens of Vancouver will have many years to pay off their six billion dollar winter olympic boondoggle and they can’t seem to sell off their Olympic Village condos in an attempt to recoup some of their losses.  Not to mention, Vancouver’s most vulnerable ended up suffering the most.

Why do we want this?

Sidenote: I wonder if any of the new Quebec Tea-baggers; the Reseau Liberte Quebecois will question Kory at their inaugural luncheon in Quebec City the true Libertarian-ness/conservativeness of his boss demanding the tax payers foot the bill for this frivolous arena? Or better still, will one of them have the balls to throw Junior’s former partnership with the Fonds de Solidarite de FTQ when they were bidding for the Habs in his face?

And it ain’t pretty.  In fact, it’s quite frightening. Here is an exerpt from Krugman’s latest article: The Unlit, Unpaved Road To Nowhere is where greed is leading to; that’s where and if you read the article, you will see that he means that…literally!

The lights are going out all over America – literally.Colorado Springs has made headlines with its desperate attempt to save money by turning off a third of its streetlights, but similar things are either happening or being contemplated across the nation, fromPhiladelphia to Fresno.

Meanwhile, a country that once amazed the world with its visionary investments in transportation, from the Erie Canal to the Interstate Highway System, is now in the process of unpaving itself: In a number of states, local governments are breaking up roads they can no longer afford to maintain and returning them to gravel.

Wow! Talk about going backward to ol’ pioneer times!  Imagine,  no more streetlights;  gravel roads; fewer highways to drive on. This is sure to cut back on productivity as well as road safety.

If that weren’t bad enough. Check out how the Americans are gutting public education. And that is even uglier.

And a nation that once prized education – that was among the first to provide basic schooling to all its children – is now cutting back. Teachers are being laid off; programs are being canceled; in Hawaii, the school year itself is being drastically shortened. And all signs point to even more cuts ahead.

Already, many kids coming out of the American (and Canadian, for that matter) public school systems are coming out inadequately prepared for the job market and post secondary education; they can’t read, write or calculate properly among other things. Just imagine how much worse things can get with all those cuts.

Krugman says it doesn’t even have to be this way, if only governments on all levels were simply willing to raise taxes. That and:

the federal government, which can sell inflation-protected long-term bonds at an interest rate of only 1.04 percent, isn’t cash-strapped at all. It could and should be offering aid to local governments, to protect the future of our infrastructure and our children.

But, Washington DC is only providing minute aid, says Krugman. It would appear to both the Rethuglicans and the Blue Dog Democrats, reducing the deficit and maintaining tax breaks to America’s most affluent  is priority above all, including the education of young minds. Very short sighted to say the least as those uneducated kids are the future tax payers.  How will they take care of the country if they’re not educated enough to do so?

Furthermore, the greed in the US is just astounding. When asked their preference:

In effect, a large part of our political class is showing its priorities: Given the choice between asking the richest 2 percent or so of Americans to go back to paying the tax rates they paid during the Clinton-era boom, or allowing the nation’s foundations to crumble, they’re choosing the latter.

Frightening, innit? Go read the rest of Krugman’s article. Indeed, it is frightening, but one Canadians can’t afford not to read given Stevie Spiteful and the Harpercon’s love for corporate tax breaks and only the top 1% of Canada’s most affluent should have the good life.  Perhaps one of the main reasons Stevie spiteful is glowing about how great our economy is is because of the healthy wealth of the millionaires and billionaires in Canada, who, according to Bruce Campbell of the Center for Policy Alternatives, are the ones who not only keep their wealth in tact during recessionary times, but actually see their wealth go up.

the latest Merrill Lynch world wealth report found that ranks of millionaires climbed 17 per cent in 2009 while their collective wealth surged 19 per cent to $39 trillion.

Naturally, these same people live in a bubble; they send their kids to the most exclusive of private schools; why should they care if  the majority of kids don’t get a good education? However, they should care about driving on unlit, unpaved streets, wouldn’t that ruin the lustre on their European sports cars or whatever luxury vehicles they drive or have driven for them?

Campbell also makes the case that our economy isn’t soaring as fast as the Harpercons and their cheerleaders would lead us to believe that it is; not with the unemployment figures we have; not with the future unemployment figures we’ll soon see if he gets his way and starts savagely cutting the civil service. At the time Campbell wrote his article on July 14 of this year; our unemployment rate is at 11.4%  (including the underemployed); not that much lower than that of Ireland’s unemployment rate which stands at 13% (could be more now; the Irish government was planning more cuts).

Read Bruce Campbell’s article here. It supports Paul Krugman’s previous article about the austerity myth.   In fact, austerity measures will only lead to another great depression.   The Irish can tell us what life is like under the regime of austerity; they’ve lived it for two years. They can tell you first hand that it’s not working for them.  The article is long, but worth the read for anyone even flirting with the new fad of austerity. Many Irish are now abandoning their homes and leaving Ireland for places like Britain, Australia and New Zealand as they see no future for finding work in their home country.  I digress, but I simply wanted to provide an example as to how austerity not only doesn’t work, but it makes things worse.

The unlit, unpaved road to nowhere that Krugman describes sounds a lot worse than even what is happening to Ireland. How far is King Steve willing to go?  Given that he wants to undo everything Trudeau did, perhaps unlit gravel roads with only a little schoolhouse from grade 1 to 8 in each town is the what he would like.  After all, he only thrives on ignorance.

What would be next? Will we be drinking bad water due to lack of inspection? Bad food? Will we continue to see increased cases of food poisoning because there will be no more food inspections, or that will be privatized, thus, unregulated?

What I really don’t get is many of the Harpercon cheerleaders themselves. Most of them are not part of that upper 1% wealth echelon. In fact, I just read from one who just lost his job and seems to be afraid to end up homeless within a few weeks, yet I have read from this very same blogger that he idolizes Mike Harris and things like cuts to the civil service and other conservative measures. I hope he lands on his feet, but at the same time, I hope this personal crisis will teach him that the Harpercon government and their cheerleaders don’t have his interests at heart and have no desire to help him. I hope he learns the importance maintaining of the social safety net during this time.

Shame on the Rethuglicans and the Blue dogs for choosing tax cuts and deficit reduction over safe roads and the future of their own country via children’s education. President Obama once again must grow some balls and fast  and not extend the deadline of Georgie and Dickie’s tax breaks to the wealthy if their country is to have a chance of surviving.

I suggest you read Krugman’s latest as well as the Bruce Campbell articles. Well worth the read. In this case, knowledge is power.

Today seems to be the day for bad accidents.  First, there was the tragic motorcycle accident with Mario Lague, Iggy’s communications director earlier this morning. Again, deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.

Then, just out from the Barrie Examiner, Helena Guergis who seems to be trapped under a dark cloud since last fall was in a car accident on her way to a funding announcement at the base, where Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced $219 million in upgrades.  Ms Guergis, who is five months pregnant,  is under observation in hospital.  She was driven by one of her assistants, Valerie Knight who is also under observation in hospital.

No matter what I may think of Helena Guergis, she doesn’t deserve the treatment she’s been getting from Stevie spiteful and she certainly didn’t deserve this to have happen to her.  I would like to wish Ms Guergis and Ms Knight a speedy recovery and that Guergis’ unborn baby survive this and come into the world healthy.

I read about this earlier today from a few blogging supposiTories.  A few commenters even venture that he could be the new Governor General to replace Michaelle Jean, but I find that highly unlikely as Steve will choose a hyperpartisan evangelical to do his bidding for him like his former mentor & boss, Preston Manning.

Milliken, apparently, has called a press conference after his annual barbecue he holds for supporters and it is said that he never calls press conferences after one of his shindigs or ever for that matter. Even when he runs for re-election, he makes a written announcement. According to The Kingston Whig Standard earlier today, no one was commenting.

Now, CanWest is saying he is expected to announce that he is indeed stepping down as speaker of the House of Commons.  Apparently, he will remain as MP and Speaker until the writ is dropped.  Hence, another reason why I don’t think he will be appointed as Steve’s door mat.

The job comes with the perks of a country estate and an apartment in the Centre Block. But it is considered a taxing post, and Milliken has had to deal with many squabbles — large and small — during tenure, which has included three back-to-back minority governments.

I can only imagine what these last sessions of parliament might have done to his sanity.  However, I’m actually surprised. I always had the impression this was a job he enjoyed.  I figured that was why he gave latitude to Stevie Spiteful in his ruling over the Afghan detainee documents. You know, not to pull a Linda Keen or a Richard Colvin?

This leads me to wonder;  is there anything more to this resignation?

I’m going to start, from time to time, post questions which I will encourage anyone to answer in the comments section.

Up until now, I had heard the musings and ramblings of the potential for yet, another Harpercon minority as the result of another federal election; that the upcoming election would be basically a do or die situation for Steve. I guess that could be possible if his own party developped a backbone to go against their master, which they never seem to do without some serious consequences attached to that; particularly with women MPs.

Remember when I mentioned  how most Canadians don’t understand our parliamentary system? I confess that while I know the basics of  our system, I don’t quite get all the intricacies, but I learn more as I read and listen to these days.

I didn’t really follow the British elections as much as many Canadian bloggers I’ve read have.  Unlike many bloggers who were comparing polls before election day and the numbers of dark horse, Nick Clegg and the Liberal Dems (yes, even the colour scheme resembles that of our parties; it  is uncanny), I felt that the comparisons were apples and oranges. I still do.  Many are seeing resemblances of these results to our situation, I don’t really. For openers, David Cameron hasn’t led me to believe he is as religiously fanatical as Brother Steve, nor as dictatorial, potentially.  I see Cameron as more of the now defunct Progressive Conservative of days gone by. He certainly doesn’t seem to be as far right as Margaret Thatcher was. I digress. Just my two cents, really.

What I did find most intriguing after reading the results from British media pages like the BBC, is that in the event of a minority, or a ‘hung’ parliament as the British refer to this situation,  it is first up to the sitting prime minister, in this case, Gordon Brown to at least attempt to form the government.  After reading that, my first reaction was that of awe to say the least.  I mean, wow! Both Britain and Canada have a westminster parliamentary system, yet we have such different rules from one another ( another reason I thought comparing polling numbers and results to us was like comparing apples and oranges).  After reading that particularity, I thought that if Canada had that same parliamentary rule, perhaps we wouldn’t have been looking at  a Harpercon government today, or at the very least, things could have been very different today.

Then I caught this delight over at Blogging Romper Roomie, Iceman’s.  Here, the comments to the post intrigued me more than his actual post (keep in mind, Iceman isn’t exactly the poster child for mental stability).  Commenters: Anonymous-Stephen P, Rocky and Brian Busby seem to be unanymous that Canada has that same rule, but that  Prime ministers who lost to minority governments like Trudeau and  Martin could have stuck around to try to get the confidence of the house, but they chose of their own volition to leave.

If those three commenters are correct and knowing how much Master Steve wants absolute power,  if  the Liberals, either, under Iggy or someone else won a minority, whose to say Steve won’t cede power, if under current parliamentary rules he would have every right to attempt to govern anyway?  That possibility, no doubt would get the Harpercon cheerleaders all ga ga giddy; those same folks who would have cursed at  Trudeau or Martin for deciding to attempt to make a go of it.

I get the feeling that while the best the Liberals could ever hope for in the next few years (barring a coalition with NDP, but Steve has permanently pitted them against each other that it won’t happen) is a minority, we may not be rid of Steve so quickly.  Would there be a way to get rid of Steve other than a Liberal or left/center left coalition majority?

If anyone could shed any light on this, please do so in comments section.  Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Well: even Tom Flanagan is of the belief Stevie Spiteful, even if he wins fewer seats than the Liberals in the next election, or even a few other scenarios, could do anything to hold on to power & would not step down so easily. Flanagan knows his protege, probably more than the rest of the world, so I would say this is indeed a likely scenario. I wonder what the blogging supposiTories would say to that one? Knowing their whole mantra of St Stevie can do no wrong and the Liberals can do no right, they would probably push for it, claiming the precedent with MacKenzie King in 1925, in spite of the Cons winning more seats. After all, this is the same group that basically wants to see the opposition essentially, abolished so Steve can have clear reign. I still say Steve will bounce back, though. Shameless columnists like this one, as well as Blogging SupposiTory, Jojo Blue are selling this over priced photo-op and a city under siege as a small price for our ‘freedoms’. Many are dumb enough to swallow that. Time will tell if any ridings in and around Toronto will forgive St-Stevie in the next election & help him get that coveted majority or even help him hang onto power if the Liberals win more seats than the Harpercons. Folks, we may not like Tom Flanagan, he’s a bloody wingnut indeed, but as mentioned above, he probably knows Stevie Spiteful better than Laureen would. If he hints at things like Stevie attempting to hold on to power in spite of winning fewer seats than the Liberals, I would take it seriously.

I really didn’t know of any other way to show respect to the great late actor of such great films like “Easy Rider”, “Apocalypse Now” and “Blue Velvet” except to to a Saturday Nite Nostalgia playing music from the soundtracks of these three films.

Willy Loman beat me to it, but selected only tunes from “Easy Rider”.  So I will only play one “Easy Rider” tune and the rest from Apocalypse Now. I don’t much fancy the music to “Blue Velvet” and I don’t really want to play the Bobby Vinton song.

“It’s All Right Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” –Roger McGuinn — one Easy Rider song that is not on Willy Loman’s page. Click the above link to view the other videos and hear some other great tracks from that great movie.

“The End” from their first album, arguably the best effort from The Doors. It was also the intro song to “Apocalypse Now”

“Satisfaction” –The Rolling Stones. The song isn’t that loud but it was meant more as background to an obviously lighter hearted scene in “Apocalypse Now”

Happy Saturday Nite All!

“Whacha Talkin’ ‘Bout Willis?” was his trademark on “Diff’rent Strokes”, a popular sitcom of the late 70s to the mid-80s starring Conrad Baines of “Maude”, Dana Plato and Todd Bridges. I especially remembered his facial expression following that  abrupt question; like he just sucked lemons and his cheeks puffed out.

Since  television watching was somewhat restricted growing up (my father felt most shows on TV were inappropriate learning tools for my brother and I growing up; particularly sit coms), but he would allow from time to time if and only if if nothing else was on for the rest of the family. My father preferred if we were more avid readers and I was … just not my school books–Judy Bloom books were my thing.  I digress…

It was a favourite tv show when I grew up until I realized the concept of the show was all wrong, much like “Webster”, I guess.  That whole idea that black children could only have opportunities and affluence if they were saved by white families. The Cosby Show changed that in 84. Perhaps that’s the problem my Dad had with “Diff’rent Strokes” (and “Webster” for that matter). I wonder if he remembers?

When I came home and heard the news I was shocked, but then, perhaps I shouldn’t be. He was always sickly, which explained his small size and other issues he had growing up.

His ‘people’ , including his own parents were putting their own greedy interests before his 0wn and as such, during adulthood, was relegated to minimum wage type jobs, much like co-star, the late Dana Plato.  He also ended up on some episodes of those court tv shows, including having his divorce played out on “Divorce Court”. Sadly pathetic.

Todd Bridges, another co-star was a cocaine addict and had a violent life that was associated with such things.  From what I hear (grown!) he is now a born again Christian. I haven’t really read much on his recent years, so I’m hoping he’s not as much of a wingnut as Kirk Cameron, another former child star.

We see recent generations of these child stars/teen sensations and when they grow up, many of them really don’t function well as adults.  Those who did remain in the showbiz industry proved to have talent  when it was seen they were no longer cute, or like Drew Barrymore, come from a Hollywood dynasty family. Drew Barrymore for many years didn’t fair so well herself; drugs and alcohol did get the better of her.

I don’t know if there should be a ban on kids working regularly in show business or not, but, more seem to end up as downtrodden souls than actually being functional.

I think the main reason for this curse is not only a lack of proper parental or even adult supervision who put the kids’ welfare before the zeros at the end of their bottom line when they’re working.

I think it’s pretty dismal that no one is more disgusted at the idea of kids being used for endentured servitude, and I’m not just talking about show business, but in general and in any part of the world as well.

More about Gary Coleman’s life here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFrNcefScvA

And below is the theme song.  Sorry if it’s a cheesy earworm, but I always thought it was catchy.

Happy Friday Nite, All!

Because eventually, I will come up with the truth.

Ignoring didn’t help, so now I will fight back.

I’m pissed; I ain’t takin’ it anymore, and hell, I am not above smut… not where Twatsy is concerned.

Collateral damage? You betcha! This is war!

Speaking of inuendo: What really is the relationship between the incoherent Canadian Sense and Twatsy, anyway? This inquiring mind wants to know. Is Canadian Sense also looking to lose his/her virginity to Twatsy perhaps?

Rightchik, I meant it,  look at his facebook pic, he looks like he salivates at the idea of  molesting minors because he can’t have control over his faculties with actual adults. The pics of your knee high boots more than likely drove Twatsy to a pre-mature ejaculation.

And Twatsy,  start reading actual books instead of stalking fraternities and progressive bloggers such as myself.

How can anyone take a blog that has a pic of Stone cold Steve Austin on their blog and a title like Nexus of Assholery seriously?

Good Gawd! Insolant deadbeat pieces of shit like Patrick Ross are the perfect illustration as to why legalized abortions are the best thing since the cure for the clap came along.

As for you Twatsy, you worthless piece of shit! I bet your mother must regret the day she allowed that man to have his way with her that conceived a horrible science experiment like yourself!

UPDATE: Twatsy’s “friends” come to his rescue. He now denies he used multiple IP addresses to get through my comments section

I have them saved…

Believe what you want: I don’t take orders from CC or anyone else for that matter. He fights his own battles. , I’m fighting mine…

And Dr Roy, you’re a doctor, an altruistic helping profession…from your ratingings, you suck! How did you not get sued for malpractice?  Everytime you talk you sound like you hit a small child with your gas guzzling car while racing to gawk at young girls at Marianopolis College.

At least I’m good at my job as a low level civil servant, and unlike Twatsy, I’m not living off Daddy’s money chasing fraternities more than hitting the books; I actually do work and pay taxes.

Twatsy, I bet you don’t have a mother…no one can raise a worthless piece of shit like you!

Oh Twatsy! If you plan  to sue me…good luck! I have nothing. I don’t own anything. I live from paychecque to paychecque.

After watching Question Period on Sunday and keeping up with the latest news, would the Liberals be trying to pave the way for Guergis to join them with that change in attitude regarding her?

More and more Liberal supporters feel sorry for her and fewer and fewer Harpercon cheerleaders are behind her.

Depending on what you read, it seems that the riding association of Simcoe-Grey is behind her as well as many of her constituents. I thought that she would run as an independent. But now, if the Liberals see how popular she may still be in Simcoe-Grey, would they have her run in the riding in their camp?

If so, sounds like an awesome opportunity for her to really stick it Stevie Spiteful.

However, as an independent, she can vote which ever way she likes on any given motion. She said she wanted to stay in politics; Steve won’t even let her run as a Harpercon. If the Liberals are offering her a place, maybe she should attempt it.

Oh and Helena, if you wish to remain with the big boys and girls of Canadian Politics, stop defending Steve or any higher ups in Harpercon party. You also can’t go crying the blues on the big tv screen, if you want to be taken seriously.

I believe she is guilty of nothing more than being married to a dud. Yes, there was the airport incident and other incidents, which is why the Liberals if they take her and should win any semblence of an election, please make sure she doesn’t get a cabinet position, as she has proven to be incompetent where that’s concerned.

Oh Gawd! I can’t believe I actually agree with some parts of  his most recent dispatch regarding Iggy and the Liberals.

Yeah, I know he’s not a fan of the Liberals, hates Iggy even more and furthermore, told Beryl Wajsman on CJAD 800Am that he thought that the Liberals cutting health care transfers in the 90s was a good thing.  When one knows all that about him, you get the feeling that like Blatchford, the Kays or Goldstein, they’re not happy unless somebody else is suffering.

No, we can’t forget that his prediction about Iggy being ousted before 2009 ended went very wrong.

All that aside, much of what he said in today’s column resembles much of what I’ve been saying: particularly about Iggy being ousted after he loses an election. Some of the candidates he visualizes taking over the party are  pretty much what I’ve been thinking.

What I do question in Perischilli’s column is about Bob Rae and that the Liberals are probably shooting for a clean slate; younger, fresher candidates. I happen to believe that the old boys network headed by Rae himself won’t allow for it. I think Rae has that much sense of self-entitlement to actually let that one go.  But, then, stranger things have happened.

About those numbers at 25% in the polls: would the Liberals kick Iggy out then? Again, not as sure as Mr Perischilli seems to be.  Honestly, can Bob Rae yield any higher, remember he is, at least, to be perceived as many to have near bankrupted the province of Ontario and was pretty much the screw up as premier. The attack ads from both the Harpercons and the Bloc Quebecois wourld be predictable and effective to say the least.  As deputy leader, Bob Rae would automatically take over for the interim if Iggy were to leave now or anytime before another Liberal leadership convention can be thrown together. With the possibility of a looming election before the year is out, there is no time to throw a convention together. No, to me, it makes no sense to throw Iggy out and replace with Bob Rae even if the numbers hit that magic 25%.

I also agree that the Liberal insiders themselves, along with Peter Donolo are seeing the writing on the wall, hell, one would have to be incredibly stupid not to. No, I think they’re in the prevent Steve from getting his majority mode. To them the next election means not who wins or not, but rather whether or not Steve wins a majority, or yet, another minority.  Perhaps, if I dare to be somewhat more optimistic, a Liberal minority, but then, how long would that last with Steve the bully sitting as leader of the opposition?

Perischilli predicts a few candidates; some completely off the wall, like David or Dalton McGinty or Martha Hall-Findlay. Some actually plausible; some even palatable like Martin Cauchon; he’s young and is experienced. I also believe he can unseat Mulcair in Outremont, particularly if the NDP continues to play indifferent over the long gun registry.  the Ecole Polytechnique is in Outremont.

As for Justin Trudeau, I’m on the fence about him still. He would need support and mentoring to make up for lack of experience.  Maybe Trudeaumania the sequel is needed. However, one has to stop and ask important questions of young Trudeau. We have to remember that he is not his father and he’s from a completely different generation that tends to lean more to the right.   For example; his father  put out the Canada Health Act in 1984, where does Justin stand on that? Where does Justin stand on issues important to Canadians. Stephane Dion did well to make him work for the nomination in the separatist riding of Papineau rather than hand him his father’s seat in Mount Royal. the fact that he beat a popular Bloc incumbent  was nothing short of amazing.

Frank McKenna has refused, but I always believed that if you throw enough things at the wall, something will stick. If McKenna got an offer to run for the leadership race, I would be somewhat frightened due to listening to him talk about how that “mature” discussion about  the future of Canadian health care. I think we’ve all learned that mature and health care system in the same sentence means the Americanization of health care; the end of universal health care. He is too far to the right for me, but he is perceived to have been a fabulous premier for New Brunswick.  Folks generally like that. Another appeal about him, particularly to the Timmy’s crowd is that he is neither from Quebec nor Ontario.

Domenic Leblanc, naturally, would have that same appeal. However, I don’t know much about him to form an opinion. However I have heard those center-right folks on the fence say they would vote Liberal if he led the party. How far to the right does Leblanc lean?

In the end, it doesn’t matter who takes over the Liberal party if most of the corporate media still endorses Steve and the Harpercons. The Liberals are going to have  to concentrate on taking at least some of that media support away from the Harpercons or they’re screwed, no matter who takes over the party.

Here’s a hint for something the LIberals should hit Harpercons over the head with during election campaigns. Steve will no doubt tout himself the hero who saved the economy. However, he inherited a country that was doing ok financially.  The Liberals should make it known that it was thanks to Paul Martin’s refusal to cave into American pressures to deregulate the financial sector that we’re faring the recession better than most.  It is also worth mentioning that if Steve had his majority back then, he would have surely deregulated all.  I, as well as others, I’m sure, that Steve would still deregulate our financial industry if we let him loose with a majority.

The economic safeguards in place under Paul Martin’s watch, the continued legalization of abortion, maintaining universal health care, the unecessary tough on crime bills the Harpercons wish to implement inspite of low crime statistics and the rise of the Christian right being allowed and even encouraged by Steve would be far better items to campaign on than afghan detainee documents or the whole Jaffer/Guergis affair would be a great start.