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He is destroying Canada’s greatest and most loved attributes that used to define us around the world - “the Charter, the flag, peacekeeping and multiculturalism”. Instead Harper is hawking war, exploitation of minorities and the poor and an unseemly devotion to US and British heritage. Taber does her best Harper fluffing by continually tying the NDP with Quebec, a dog whistle tactic not unlike the US right’s tying of Obama to his blackness.
Canada is about being Canadian and celebrating our true history – not manufacturing a PR campaign to fool the more vulnerable into believing we are really just pale imitations of a combination of US and Britain with a war-like corporate devotion to killing and being killed on battle fields.
If you look at the numbers, I don’t think you’ll find there are enough Canadians supporting Harper to buy his propaganda. However Jane, with the help of you and the rest of the media, Harper’s manipulation of our image and history may very well take. You’re doing your damnedest to help him. But in your enthusiasm for becoming a senator, most likely, you may be doing more of a disservice to Canada than is Harper. And that is saying something.
UPDATE: Pogge summarizes it far better than I could. I missed this key part (emphasis mine):
Apparently Stephen Harper is bringing us “a new brand of patriotism” –according to a political operative who’s currently working for a “high stakes public strategy firm” in Chicago.
Cross Posted at Let Freedom Rain
“that define us around the world”
Fat chance. Here’s what the rest of the world thinks of us: Mostly they don’t. And when they do, it’s some misty image of mounties, mountains, and moose. Let’s quit worrying about what the rest world thinks, as if we were some zit-faced adolescent desperate to be popular.
So far as hawking war, Harper is getting us out of the Afghanistan war (the one Chretien got us into). Harper did get us into the Libya conflict, but that’s a rather limited affair, and was supported by all parties.
Hardly the actions of a hawkish war mongerer.
Jymn Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 5:21 PM
How the world sees us defines how we trade, how other countries ally with us, how we are welcomed or shunned when we travel, how we prosper internationally. I’ve travelled and lived all over the world and yes, people do have a definite view of Canada and know more about us than moose. You are referring to the US, a country whose ihabitants know nothing of anything outside their borders. The rest of the world is well aware of us and the recent turn towards selfish conservatism.
Getting out of Afghanistan? Are you joking? And what are all those expensive jets for? Feeding the poor? I’m sorry Rabbit but your view of our international standing is one of adolescence and of a popular quote by Ann Coulter. Please, think for yourself. And a travel the world a little bit, would ya?
ck Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 6:26 PM
Oh please Rabbit! If Stevie were in power back then, he, too would’ve gotten us into Afghanistan, why? because his big buddy man crush, Georgie Dubya Bush wanted us to. In fact, if
Steve were in power instead of Chretien back then, we’d also have been in Iraq and still be there, I might add. It was Steve who pushed the deadline twice. Yeah, the opposition went along twice, but constitutionally, he didn’t need them for that (PM doesn’t need to go before HOC to make military decisions to debate them). Even if they didn’t he woulda anyway.
We were once known as peace keepers on the world stage; a compassionate nation who helped our fellow man. Now, we’re pariahs.
ck:
Harper might well have gone into Afghanistan were he in power, but I like to work from actual evidence before calling someone a military hawk.
Let’s face it. Harper’s getting called a hawk because he’s conservative, not because there’s any evidence. And Chretien DIDN’T get called hawk, despite getting us into Afghanistan, because he was a liberal.
But Canada as pariah? Puuhhlease. The world pays far less attention to Canada than we like to think they do, and when they do pay attention its mostly highly favourable.
ck Reply:
August 20th, 2011 at 7:23 PM
Rabbit, you want facts: It is a fact that Harper would’ve sent us to Iraq, therefore, it’s not a stretch to assume he would’ve sent us to Afghanistan. It is a fact that he extended our role in the Afghan role twice. Constitutionally, he did not need the opposition parties to do this.
I’m not happy that Chretien sent us to Afghanistan neither, but if he hadn’t, who’s to say Harper wouldn’t have anyway?
It is also a fact that Stevie Harper loved Georgie Dubya Bush. Georgie said jump and Stevie said how high.
Canada is looked upon as a pariah. Take your pick: tar sands, lack of interest in the environment, sick obsession with Israel, loss of security council seat with UN, etc.
Yes Steve was more than willing to sacrifice our troops in the name of freedumb .
Putting our troops in harms way isnt supporting the troops
No thanks to Steve and his buddy Pastor Stockwell Canada didnt suffer fatalites in Iraq but alas missed this Crusade against Islam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/879589/posts
Harper is focused on Harper. He is shoving off his responsibilities onto the provinces.
He desperately wants to be an energy giant, a big wheel. It is power and glory, he is seeking. He has burned his bridges with Europe. He has been trying to peddle, the dirty oil sands as clean energy. Now, he is sending, the most despised and, the most corrupt ex Premier, in Canadian history, Gordon Campbell, as High Commissioner to England, to peddle the dirty oil, to Europe. England knows all about Campbell. His very dirty political record, is already there, long ago.
Harper is focused on building up his war machine. Billions on jets, ships, and billions on his gulags. Canada has one state of the art Battle Ship, some old WW11 subs, bought from England. Harper joining in these wars, thinks this gives him prestige. This is, absolutely all he is interested in, and to hell with the people.
Canada’s best role is, being a peacekeeping nation. Harper shooting his mouth off at Russia, over territory in the high Arctic, is laughable. The U.S. called him, a petty gasbag. Harper is so full, of his self importance, he doesn’t even catch on, he is being snickered at behind his back. There are very few advanced country’s, that like Harper.
Harper has fouled and soiled Canada, in the eyes of the world. When a newspaper as far away as Australia says, how badly democracy has eroded in Canada. Believe you me, the world is watching. In fact the world is sad about Canada. We used to be a good country, until Harper. I don’t even see this country as Canada.
I had six family members, in WW11. Two were in the Liberation of Holland. My two brothers met family’s there. Even though my brothers have passed on, the friends in Holland still keep in touch with us. They are extremely sad, about Canada. Our young Canadian boys, were their friends for life, and still are. But, the news about Canada is now negative, full of angry citizens. Our boys died, so we wouldn’t have a dictator like Harper in our country. They would die for Holland, but never for Harper. He isn’t worth it.