Clinton P. Desveaux

Weekend over

2008-02-11T19:09:00.000-04:00

Well yesterday (Sunday) I was really really tired. Had some guests over for breakfast. Need to purchase a new front door for my home as mine is leaking. One of my buddies Spark is going to ensure I get it for free (hear that Spark?), just kidding!

Anyways, had all of my bags packed as I hit the road Monday morning. Went out and bought a bunch of dress shirts and ties, now I have more then I know what to do with, but alas, a salesman needs his ties...

Jaden didn't feel like skiing, he was tired, so instead today he wanted to go bowling. He bowled a 56 which isn't bad for a 5 year old I guess, but he had a bad game.

Had snowstorm towards the end of the day, roads were slick.

Was in bed by 9:30 PM, had a head pains, which is bollocks, could feel a bit of cold hitting me, but I had the woodstoves upstairs and downstairs running and I put away 2 vitamin C tablets. Woke up this morning feeling fresh at 6AM. Power had gone out at some point during the night, had to go down and prime the water pump otherwise the taps would be dry.

Climbing in car at and pulling out of my driveway in Cow Bay with snow pouring down.

Week Ends

2008-02-09T13:04:00.000-04:00

Saturday Feb 9th 2008

Slept in this morning till 7 AM which was a great change, made pancakes and french toast. Drove the wife to work this morning. This morning I counted 6 police car near Mic Mac Mall and each officer had people pulled over and was handing out speeding tickets by the look of it.

Bought a new pair of steal toe dress shoes for my job at Sunnyside Mall in Bedford, the best part is that they were regular price of $99.99 and I got a clearing out sale for $9.99! Fridge was empty, went out to the Superstore and bought a ton of grocery.

Weekend consists of skiing and bowling then back on the road again living in hotels.

Friday Feb 8th 2008

Went out to a Vietnamese place for lunch, the food was great. Got back to the hotel, and spent an hour swimming laps, doing my best to harden my abs in my old age.

Worn OUt

2008-02-07T06:12:00.000-04:00

Up at 5:30 AM, quick shower, and put another suit on. Had some orange juice, bacon, and pancakes for breakfast. Called the family back home to let them know everything is okay. I love waking them up at 6:30 AM!!

The day was packed solid with meetings and travel. Looks like we may have brought some new business over to us. Spent a good chunk of the day on the road which was interesting. Had lunch at a Bali style Asian restaurant and the food was FANTASTIC.

Went out and purchased a new pair of shoes, an interesting mall in Moncton. It seems to appeal to women shoppers a great deal as it was packed and this being a Wednesday seemed strange to me, I guess I don't get out to malls very often. Meeting with clients and buisiness type people means looking good, my fav pair of shoes have been salt damaged this winter it appears, so it was time for the new ones.

Got back in the hotel and ate dinner alone. Watched a bit of the Super Tuesday coverage, what is being missed in the VERY BAD coverage is that Huckabee voters second choice for candidate is McCain NOT Romney according to ALL polls yet the media seems intent on making this a story of how Huckabee is hurting Romney which is false. In either case Romney is done, stick a fork in him.

Swam some laps in the hotel pool for another hour, went back to room and was worn out, fast asleep by 9PM.

Another Day Another Penny

2008-02-05T21:58:00.000-04:00

GREAT day today, met with some energy guys and they took me out to lunch which was nice. Spent the afternoon going over some paper work, another day another penny. Had a clubhouse for dinner sans mayo - I HATE MAYO. Went to a local Chapters bookstore and looked for some books on the money supply and fractional reserve banking. Sat back in my room, and went in the pool later in the evening and swam laps for an hour before going to bed. Times like these I miss family. Another week another hotel. As Joe Elliott lead singer of Def Leppard likes to say, "Until next time, AND there will be a next time!"

Cheers folks.

On The Road Again

2008-02-04T17:37:00.000-04:00

Got up late this morning, had very little time to make breakfast for the kids. Just walked in my office. Sat my butt down on the leather chair only to have my phone ring. 'We need you in Moncton', so off I go, drive home, get my bags packed. The nice thing is, I have suits on hangers in my closet. Each suit has a shirt and tie on the same hanger, which makes a goof like me with poor fashion sense get by in the 21st century - everyone needs a wife, LOL.

Had a 6 inch Turkey sub on whole wheat at Subway today. Picked up my new laptop. Amazing how quickly one's life can change with a simple search for new employment. Things are rather exciting, and my son thinks my new ties are "snazy" his word not mine. I may post some pics of me wearing some ties.

Company books hotel room for me, all I do is arrive, unpack and begin a new journey.

More updates later this week, so on then road again!

Long Day

2008-02-03T20:40:00.000-04:00

We were all out of bed at 6:20 AM this morning. Made a massive breakfast of home made McMuffins and pancakes, I really love breakfast time. The kids wolfed it down. Planning to be at the ski hill for 9 AM but of course, when one has family a simple '30 minutes to get ready' always becomes more like 2 hours...

Anyways, we drove up to the hill and Jaden had a blast. He made a new friend who skiis all of the time, William I think. He is the same age as Jaden. Angelina today went out wanted to ski by herself without me hording over her in fear that she may crash - I was so proud of her. The hill today was wonderful, little in the way of a crowd which means short waits for chair lifts and
T-Bars. Spend the full day on the hill.

Mom and the kids crashed right away by 8 PM. I managed to get the house clean, clothes washed, and most things put in order because once again I'm heading back out on the road again. My new office in the house is almost completed which is nice because it allows me a place to get my work done and listen to Mel Torme or Def Leppard or whoever I want to listen to without the kids asking me to lower the volume.

Have all of my suits and ties in order for this week. Jaden wants to go night skiing again with me before I head back out on the road so that should be fun.

Back Home

2008-02-02T11:42:00.000-04:00

FRIDAY FEB 1 2008

Felt AMAZING to sleep in my own bed again, woke up this morning at 7 AM well rested. Previous night I read both my son and daugther a story before putting them to bed for the night.

No time for breakfast this morning. have to be at the office for 7:45 AM because we are hitting the road today. Back in the office at noone, sat back and listened to the radio for lunch. Got home late tonight.

SATURDAY FEB 2

Slept again this morning till 7 AM which was nice, I haven't done that 2 days in a row now in at least a year. Made the family scrambled eggs and pancakes for breakfast. Picked up the car at the garage today. Lots of cloud, small wind gusts, and off and on again rain. Going to pick up some food at the local grocer.

Plan on spending the evening at the ski hill tonight with my son. Just getting back into the groove of things and son asks, 'Dad can I have some money'. I think I'm going to be out of town again this upcoming week.

The Drive Home

2008-01-31T06:45:00.001-04:00

Well today I'm going to be meeting people all over Saint John. Slept in this morning till 5:45 AM which felt good. Body is a little sore from working out last night. Watched the Republican debate in my room last night on CNN. The Ronald Reagan library seems like a really nice place in California.

The orange juice served in the hotel here is fantastic!

Plan to update my journal later this evening

Pad Thai

2008-01-30T17:57:00.000-04:00

Woke up this morning again after another restless night of staring at the mirror across from the bed and counting how many tiny artistic holes are in the ceiling.

Went to the gym at 5:30 AM and ran for 30 minutes on the excersie machines. Had a solitary breakfast of cornflakes and english muffins. I was really hungry for beans on toast but couldn't find it anywhere.

Surprised by how little traffic there is in Saint John NB during "rush hour" in the moring. Picked up a new day planner. Spent the entire day in meetings.

On the way back to the hotel this evening, I stopped at the Thai plae again and ordered pad thai and spring rolls. It was okay, but it seemed a bit off. Spring rolls were good though.

Going back to the gym this evening for an hour. Afterwards perhaps going to watch CNN in my hotel room.

Pre-Recorded Voice

2008-01-29T18:01:00.000-04:00

Managed to read 2 MacLeans magazines and found myself staring back at myself in the mirror across from the bed in the hotel room all night. Sat in the hotel last night and wrote some new songs.

Woke up this morning at 5:30 AM to the ever exciting pre-recorded voice on the telephone 'This is your wake up call'. Great way to start the day.

On the road by 6:15 AM, skipped breakfast, it snowed all night. The drive from Moncton to Saint John was tough with a lot of snow on the road. Was in meetings all day and spend 30 minutes driving around at 5 PM looking for my hotel. Found it, and I'm now getting ready to order dinner, found a Thai place down the road which looked nice, besides I haven't eaten since last night so I'm a little hungry.

Stuck In Moncton

2008-01-28T16:29:00.000-04:00

As Ian Hunter sang in 'Who Do You Love?', "The jets ain't jumping cause the clouds to low!"

3 cars sit in my driveway at home. Car number 1 refused to start, not a good way to start the day. Car number 2 started but lock on the trunk refused to lock again for another 30 minutes once trunk was opened due to cold weather which is bollocks, the first time this happened to any car I have ever owned.

Travelled to Saint John today, or better yet, tried to travel to Saint John New Brunswick today. Reached sort of the half way point which should have been Moncton in 2.5 hours, but turned out to be 4 hours and 15 minutes.

Searing snow blizzard with whiteout conditions for the last 20 minutes told me perhaps I should pull car off of road and stay in Moncton for the night. All kinds of wankers on the road driving way to fast and putting themselves in the ditch.

Everything in Moncton is closed, including Starbucks and Chapters which is next to the Ramada Inn Hotel where I'm staying.

All I can hear from my hotel room is the annoying beep beep beep from the snow removal tractors all over the place outside.

Ate a California Club House sandwich for lunch at the hotel food joint which I rather enjoyed a great deal. Went back to room and read 3 newspapers with radio on in the background. Radio DJ mentions that Jimmy Page is ready to take Led Zeppelin back on the road in 2008.

Go down to hotel gym and workout for an hour, felt great. Called all of my house guests back home and family to let them know there is no need to worry for I'm still alive.

Really bored listening to the snow fall all day, ordered room service, pasta and meat balls for dinner.

Think I'm going to go back to the gym tonight before hitting the bed early

Tomorow morning the journey continues to Saint John New Brunswick!!

Iraq/WMD/911

2007-12-06T20:39:00.000-04:00

1) Let me begin this post with the following:

NO ONE is forcing you to read or respond to this post if in fact a legitimate debate of the facts and reality are something which you have no desire to take part in. If you do plan to respond, please read and watch all links in full before posting.

[a] Before the Iraq War: February 2001 Secretary of State Colin Powell states the position of the United States Administration, that Iraq does not have WMD, and later in the year, July of 2001 to be precise, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice also reiterates the position of the United States Administration, that Iraq does not have WMD. Both interviews can be seen and heard at the following link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=UJQX4m5tcgY

Tuesday September 11th 2001 a number of terrorists all from Saudi Arabia and Egypt create one of the most terrifying days in the Western World in nearly 60 years. What did Saudi Arabia and Egypt do to stop or prevent that type of action from happening? What has Saudi Arabia and Egypt done to prevent this type of action from happening again?

[b] Shortly after the events of Tuesday September 11 2001 where Saudi Arabian and Egyptians caused wide spread panic, the overwhelming majority of elected officials in BOTH the Democrat and Republican parties convince themselves that Iraq has WMD, not just any WMD, but at one point in the debate almost the entire Whitehouse Administration begins openly talking about Saddam using a ‘Mushroom cloud’ scenario on either the United States or perhaps some other Western nation in the developed world. 3 Main points are raised during the debate:

(1) Saddam was involved in the events of Tuesday September 11th 2001
(2) Saddam had WMD or would have WMD very soon, the nuclear weapon WMD in fact
(3) Saddam had purchased nuclear materials in Algiers

In the end all 3 claims proved to be false with the exception of the following type of discoveries:

Some unaccounted and unexploded canisters of sarin gas for example are found, these poisons date from the Iran/Iraq war during the early 1980’s era, the discovery of these as many claim, is a WMD which could technically justify the invasion of Iraq. What is sometimes forgotten when that point is made is that Iraq in the early 1980’s was considered a counter-balance to the hostile Iran regime and the West wanted Iraq to have such materials to deal with the "Iran problem":

http://www.centcom.mil/sites/uscentcom2/Lists/Current%20Press%20Releases/DispForm.aspx?ID=1280

The focus of the war in Iraq quickly changes to nation building/building democracy. 3000 plus American soldiers are killed plus a number of other American ally military soldiers and countless other American and American ally military soldiers are wounded or maimed.

[c] The President of the United States begins to change his tone and rhetoric in regards to WMD and then admits in his weekly Press Conference that Iraq has no WMD and was not involved in the events of 911. That video can be seen and heard at the following link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=f_A77N5WKWM

Then on December 4th 2007, the President of the United States holds another press conference and admits again that there was a failure gathering or understanding of intelligence in Iraq with the following:

"Actually, I am -- I want to compliment the intelligence community for their good work. Right after the failure of intelligence in Iraq, we reformed the intel community so that there was a lot of serious considerations of NIEs in a way that would give us confidence. And here's a, I think, a very important product that is a result of the reforms we've put in place. As a matter of fact, the American people should have confidence that the reforms are working, and that this work on the intel community is important work."

The entire press conference can be read here from the official records of the Whitehouse:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/12/20071204-4.html

Last but not least, we have a video of President George Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and the head of the CIA George Tenet all admitting after it was announced that ‘combat operations’ had come to an end that Iraq did not, nor does it have the type of WMD that they had initially convinced the public of the United States that Iraq had in its possession which can be viewed and heard here:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=EYI7JXGqd0o

So either the entire leadership of the Republican Party and Whitehouse is now lying that there are no WMD, or we have nothing more but a rationalization for the Iraq war. Because frankly, the only legitimate issue left to defend is nation building, and I did not support nation building; when Bill Clinton and his Democrats attempted it in Yugoslavia, nor do I support it in Iraq, because that is nothing more but a massive wealth transfer scheme of American and other taxpayer monies into the hands of people who didn’t earn the money in the 1st place.

Big government at its largest…

Government Falls On Opposition Sword, Or So It Seems…

2007-04-22T21:19:00.000-03:00

I believe Prime Minister Stephen Harper will engineer his governments fall with all of the opposition parties defeating the government over some motion related to Kyoto in combination with the Senate Chamber in Ottawa. Kyoto is the only issue that the Conservatives are able to increase vote percentage in all of the provinces across Canada including Quebec.

Harper will frame the debate right from the beginning as a ‘they want to take your job away and raise taxes’. He will go to Alberta/Saskatchewan and will paraphrase Official Opposition leader Dion’s, ‘the oil and gas work is the easy money’ and the voters will flood to Harper.

The Prime Minister will go to the blue collar auto workers in Ontario and do the same and get amazing results as there are many workers in the big 3 right now worried about their future.

He will do the rounds of the Aerospace/Aviation manufacturing jobs in Manitoba and Quebec and they will cheer for him like he was their king.

In Atlantic Canada Stephen Harper will point out how high home heating costs and automotive fuel bills are now and how high they will go with Kyoto and Atlantic Canada will deliver the Tories a large chunk of seats.
Anyone who doubts this, remember the document that the government released during the 3rd week of April 2007 which pointed out the following:

The economy would shrink by 4.2 per cent if Kyoto is implemented causing a recession on par with the 1981-82 recession.Job losses will total 275,000 by 2009 Electricity costs will jump by 50 per cent by 2010 Gasoline costs will jump by 60 per cent almost immediately, and Home heating oil will double."
Looking at all of the polling data from ALL of the polling firms, the momentum that Prime Minister Stephen Harper appears to have in the ‘leadership side of the numbers’ and the total disarray of the Liberals fighting between New Democrats and Greens; and the Conservative government will go down at some point in the next 3 weeks.

Furthermore, since Canada is committed to Afghanistan past next year, Harper will go to the polls this year. Conservatives have been working hard to make gains in Quebec. The one issue which hurts the Conservatives in Quebec is Afghanistan. With the Van Doo’s going in Afghanistan in the fall of 2007 and casualties sure to happen, it means losses in Quebec on the electoral front. Afghanistan is not going to improve since the West fails to deal with Afghanistan to remove the problem that causes us to be there in the first place. There is no way that the CPC will win any seats in Quebec next year with Afghanistan still and increasingly becoming more of a problem with Van Doo’s dying.

Even if the Opposition parties work with the Conservatives in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister will go the Governor General and dissolve Parliament over the fact that the Liberal dominated Senate will not rubberstamp any potential legislation related to Kyoto.

So at some point in the next 3 weeks the government falls on the opposition sword, or so it seems. I’m prepared to give Stephen the benefit of the doubt in regards to what he may accomplish that actually reduces the role, size, and costs of the state combined with income tax cuts IF he wins a majority government, only because I know he is Machiavelli. Besides whom else am I going to vote for in 2007?

“conservative” Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Budget 2007

2007-04-22T20:35:00.000-03:00

Better late then never I guess. The hidden agenda is no longer hidden; it has wrapped itself in the arms of big government “conservatism” and has become even more fiscally irresponsible. The hallmarks of traditional conservatism have revolved around tax cuts, smaller government, and tight spending controls, the key word of course being “traditional”. Conservativism in Canada today, unfortunately is some strange alternate universe where Liberals spend less money then Conservatives and Conservatives brag about large spending habits…

Total program spending is up 7.9% in fiscal year 2006/07 when they had originally planned to spend 5%, in other words they overshot their own numbers, compared to fiscal year 2005/06 and projected to rise another 5.7% in 2007/08. Total program spending has hit an all time high of $233 Billon. These numbers DO NOT take into account unplanned and yet to be announced spending increases which ALWAYS happen over the course of a year in politics. Surely Pierre Elliott Trudeau must be smiling from the grave.

Tax credits, adjustments, and other such things which supposedly pass for tax cuts are aimed at families with children and seniors citizens; classic social engineering where the rest of the population is paying for the goodies pitting one group of citizens against another group.

Combine all of this spending and social engineering with a $13 Billion tax surplus and it clearly demonstrates that something must be done to create an intellectual counterbalance to the tax and spend ideas of the 3 mainstream parties.

“Conservative” Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s budget 2007 will be remembered, I’m just not sure yet that it will be remembered for the right reasons.

Time For Change?

2007-04-11T21:50:00.000-03:00

Just got back from Alberta. Travelled all over the province. Time for a change? Not sure YET...

Play Your Game, Not Your Opponent’s: Why the Conservatives Will Lose

2006-12-25T22:39:00.000-04:00

This isn’t a ‘time to bash the conservatives’ like most other partisans, who enjoy taking part in that kind of thing. This is more a reflection of reality that sometimes gets lost in all of the hustle and bustle in that ass like game we call politics.

Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party of Canada is allowing the opposition to shape and mold the political discussion, something which is never good if one is preparing to jump into an election within a minority parliament.

Over the last number of weeks, and to a lesser degree, months, I have noticed Harper and the Conservatives traveling down a path where they are being pulled, dragged, and in some cases openly running towards embracing the issue of Environmental intervention.

You can’t win ever, if you refuse to play your game by your rules, your rules being income, corporate, and consumption tax cuts and rolling back the role and size of the state. If you focus on your opponent’s game, and his rules, and instead focus on an issue like environmental intervention you get sun burned. If you are perceived as having ZERO credibility on, no matter how wrong the perception maybe from reality, on environmental issues, you will never win, and this is why the Conservatives will lose. They have let the debate to continue down this path of clean air and Kyoto and Indian rain dance legislation. Even the local and national media has been jumping on this bandwagon now, assisting the opposition in making this the key issue of the next election.

The public has almost forgotten the sponsorship scandal, the public sees a new man in charge of the Grits, and the public also feels the NDP have had nothing to do with the sponsorship scandal either while at the same time, the national debate is focusing around an issue which the Conservatives have basically no chance at converting any new fans at best, and most likely loses a few ‘moderates’ over an issue they have no control over.

The time has come for the Conservatives to think big, and act big, and openly take the philosophical debate back by making a really really big media event around something like a 40% income tax cut for example, something which the public would follow Harper to hell and back for, and force the opposition to create a national election around the issue of tax cuts, then Harper and the Conservatives may stand a chance at actually accomplishing something useful for a change! Right now, things are not looking good at all.

The Rule of Law, and Limiting Federal Spending

2006-11-26T21:17:00.000-04:00

Now is the time, to see if those who actually espouse the rule of law actually believe what they chat about, or if it’s just semantics for majority mob rule, and the latest push polls.

When it all boils down, the Canadian Constitution is in fact the law of the law, and Canada’s founding fathers all understood the clear division of powers between Provincial Law and Federal Law with sections 91 and Sections 92 of the British North America Act.

Much of Canada as we know it during the last 50 years has been artificially created through breaking the law; the federal spending act is in fact the key issue which has allowed Ottawa to spread its hands into the pockets and lives of everyone.

CTV News reported Friday the 24th of November 2006 that the government of Canada is exploring the constitutional limiting of federal spending powers in areas of exclusive provincial jurisdiction. This has been something which the old Stephen Harper believed in very strongly and I know this because I remember him telling me so back around 1990 when he visited Dartmouth Nova Scotia as a private citizen.
This would prevent the federal government from launching new national programs without the consent of the provinces. Any dissenting province could opt out with full compensation. By rolling back the federal spending power, you restrict the right of the national government to establish nation-wide social policy, and the game of state expansionism ends rather quickly.
Furthermore it basically stops provinces from running deficits, and cranking up debt levels and then crying to the feds for more money to fix a problem which the provinces made in the first place. Thus it limits state expansionism at the provincial level as well!
Imagine a Canada where the federal government is only involved in matters of the federal government, and because of this, it is actually able to concentrate on what is important, and do it right, and do it well. The true role of the federal government as our fathers of confederation intended it to be would be restored as the Canadian Constitution so clearly states.
If this happens, it guarantees Harper a minimum of 20 additional seats come election time in Quebec, and an additional 20 seats minimum combined from Ontario and British Columbia.
The key to enforcing this is convincing 7 provincial governments which represent at least 50% of the population to go along with it so as to be able to make a change to the constitution. Now we are almost there with British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatewan, Ontario, and Quebec all surely jumping on board, as these provincial governments would surely take the deal. The wildcard in this, where do you find 2 other provincial governments?
Danny Williams and his government of Newfoundland & Labrador might take the candy as well if it can be proven to work for his province’s benefit on certain issues such as exporting fresh water, and the oil & gas energy offshore development issue. So great, we have 6 provinces, which leave us still looking for province number 7 to restore reason, logic, and rational though back into how Canada is operated.
The British North America Act 1867 gave Canada a federal constitution hence Dominion Day or for those of you educated in the public system, Canada Day. Canada came into being because under the British North America Act, powers of government were divided between the Dominion government (Canadian) and the various provincial governments. Some of those legal powers were vested in the national government. The rest of the legal powers remained with the provincial governments. Each provincial government, within its own sphere, retained its independence and autonomy, directly under the Crown; this is where the ‘rebalancing of federal/provincial jurisdiction’ which Preston Manning fervently discussed at length about a decade ago which so few people understood.
The beauty of this idea is that it immediately boxes in the separatist forces in Quebec and gives something to Charest which ends the Quebec question once and for all. It also eliminates the Western independence movement once and for all by showing that Canada can in fact work.
People who don't want Canada to limit its spending powers into provincial jurisdiction are unpatriotic, and prepared to destroy Canada because if the Canadian government continues to put its nose in provincial law it will drive Quebec out of Canada, and perhaps to a lesser extent British Columbia/Alberta. So the questions are: Which province will be number 7? Which province will save Canada?

The Tim Horton’s Prime Minister!

2006-11-07T00:20:00.000-04:00

I met Stephen Harper for the first time when I was a very young man when he traveled to Dartmouth Nova Scotia back around 1990. During this visit to Nova Scotia Harper was one of Preston Manning’s key advisors, Reform Party of Canada policy wonk, and parliamentary strategist for Deb Grey.

Immediately I was struck by Stephen’s vast understanding of economics and complete loathing of the political arena. Plus he had a very deep understanding of music and music history. So impressed was I by his music collection, that I am the proud owner of his former vast vinyl LP collection.

I remember around 1995 or 97 during a Reform Party of Canada youth convention or something like that, Stephen telling me how stupid Chretien looked riding a bike through downtown China on one of Ti Jean's "Vive Le Canada" tirades, in fact Harper said something like, "Clinton, populism is the idiot twin brother of pragmatism". Chretien really fitted in at the local Tim Hortons on main street in Canada.

Throughout the years I was able to keep in touch with Stephen with the odd phone call here and there, and the odd E-Mail.

Stephen Harper retired from politics for the 1st time in his life as a rather young, but well known and respected MP from the Reform Party back in 1997. The reasons for his retirement was his getting married and later the arrival of his first child combined with a complete dislike of Preston Manning’s inner circle, as well as a dislike for the theatrics of Parliament.

When Jean Charest stepped down as leader of the former Progressive Conservative Party of Canada; a very large national organization of volunteers quickly joined together, ready to assist Harper if he wanted the leadership of the old Tory party. What I remember most fondly about this time, was Stephen telling me during a phone conversation that running for Parliament was a waste of time, that real change such as rolling back the role, size, and cost of government will never happen and I argued with him that he was the right man for the job. After much thought, he walked away from the offer of the PC leadership convinced that he was in no mood to alienate his friends in the Reform Party movement.

When Preston Manning closed down the old Reform Party and created the Canadian Alliance from the United Alternative process, a process which I was intimately involved with from an Atlantic Canadian perspective, which many provincial Progressive Conservative, who eventually decided to support and endorse Joe Clark over Stockwell Day, will remember. Around this time, a number of individuals including myself were expelled from the provincial Nova Scotia PC Youth Wing for life. Stephen Harper expressed his support to those of us were expelled and basically told us not to worry about it because the clowns in Ottawa always favor loyalty over principle and that is how it has always been.

When the Canadian Alliance was created, and candidates were stepping forward for the leadership of the party, I was involved with some other individuals on starting a Stephen Harper for leader organization, after the news made its way into the Globe and Mail and National Post, Jason Kenney who was organizing for Stockwell Day made some calls to enquire what was going on. He mentioned that he had spoken to Harper that day after the news, and that Harper had expressed no interest in the Canadian Alliance leadership. What annoyed me more then Harper saying he was not interested, was, why Jason Kenney called me in the first place basically telling me and others to lay off of the Stephen Harper run. Kenney of course was a Stockwell Day man. Also of note, Preston Manning’s entire inner circle of Youth Wing fanatics who worked in Ottawa, had spent the day calling and harassing the National Citizens Coalition office where Harper worked with calls like, “Is this Stephen Harper’s campaign headquarters?” in angry and loud voices.

Eventually when the wheels were flying off the Canadian Alliance wagon from Preston Manning people attacking and attempting to destroy Stockwell Day, Harper conceded that he was going to take the run at it for the sake of the movement itself. He felt it was important that Canada have a pro-capitalism, limited government movement with the Canadian Alliance as an alternative to the status quo of the New Democrat/Tory/Grit parties.

What I remember most about this time in particular, was hanging out with Stephen one night in a bar with 4 others including my wife, and we joked around about the idea of Stephen making a surprise walk about through the Nova Scotia Provincial Progressive Conservative annual general meeting. At that time, there was a great deal of hostility between Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative federal members who were members of the provincial PC party here in Nova Scotia. Also, I remember a drunkard following Stephen into a bathroom one afternoon in small town Nova Scotia, it seems the drunkard wanted to chat a little with Stephen if you know what mean…The fellow sort of backed down when he realized the size of Harper in life compared to television.

Prior to taking over the leadership of the Canadian Alliance, he would tell all of his supporters and organizers in public as well as in private, including myself and others, that there would be no merger talks or discussions with the old PC party, as long as he was leader. This was my first sign of discontent, because once he was elected leader, he immediately began merger discussions and talks, which was to me anyways a major flip flop or change in policy direction. Now yes I understand that one can argue the positive and or negatives of merger between PC Party and the Canadian Alliance, but for me, that wasn’t really the point, it was the flip flop itself. Now, even though merger talks starting, I kept it to myself, I figured that I knew Stephen, and I trusted him, he must have some great plan in mind which will work out in the end. Looking back on it that was the first sign of principle or policy dishonesty which should have set off the alarm bells.

When the merger of the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative Parties finally happened, I found myself working and organizing for Stephen Harper in the federal riding of Dartmouth Nova Scotia, which at that time, was my home riding. Of course, Harper did very well in New Brunswick. Nova Scotia where Belinda Stronach was expected to sweep the province, something happened, Harper managed a few surprise wins in the leadership contest, including my home riding of Dartmouth, much to my satisfaction as the Belinda Stronach people were truly intellectual lightweights in my opinion and far to focused on throwing large sums of money around in order to purchase a leadership contest.

When Stephen ran in his first federal election, as a potential choice for Prime Minister, as newly elected leader of the Conservative Party of Canada things seemed to go well! However he lost to Paul Martin in a minority government situation. Martin was expected to form the largest majority in Canadian history; man did the critics ever blow those election results. In either case, after the election, Stephen went back to the drawing board.

To me anyways, he came out a different person, one who was no longer grounded on principle and morality, but a man grounded on the need to win, to prove his critics wrong. What happened though, was a long slide towards the political status quo, something which any Jean Chrétien or Paul Martin Liberal would be very proud of.

During Harper’s first federal election as leader of the Conservative Party, he promised to abolish the $400 million a year in handouts and grants the federal Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) gives to Atlantic Canadian businesses. To Stephen it had always been, 'CORPORATE WELFARE'. He even stated in front of the cameras and microphones in front of a very large audience:

"We want the government out of the business of corporate welfare," Harper said in Halifax during the 2004 campaign. "For everyone who gets a grant or favor from a government agency, there are 10 other people who think they should have got it instead. That's the wrong approach." This was classic and honest Stephen Harper, who was consistent, a true student of Friedrick von Hayek and Ludwig von Mises

But in 2006, during his 2nd federal election, determined to win, Harper promised Atlantic Canadians "a Conservative government will maintain current levels of funding for ... ACOA."
When a reporter asked Stephen about this sudden flip flop, Harper said: "The last platform didn't say we'd get rid of ACOA. What we have said in the past is we would look at subsidy programs, and evaluate the benefit for taxpayers." In other words this was the for me anyways the 2nd key time, that Stephen had basically lied or “evolved” as he himself repeated so many times like a mantra during the election.

When Stephen came out the winner of the election and Canada’s newest Prime Minister, he shocked everyone by pulling a Jean Chrétien or Paul Martin, basically doing what they did with Belinda Stronach, and brought a newly elected Liberal into the cabinet as payback. What annoyed me the most however, was insistence that nothing was wrong with this, and he attempted to paint this as being moral somehow. Another small but growing list of annoyances, and drifting from principle, to status quo. Of course the election ‘promise’ of forcing people with no children to look after people with children through subsidization means, was nothing more but classic social engineering, and another example of state expansionism being embraced by someone who only 5 years ago, swore that state expansionism was something he disliked, ‘look I basically want government out of the way’, during his CBC interview the night he won the leadership of the Canadian Alliance. Of course, when Liberals were shutting down weather stations in Newfoundland because high speed internet, faxes, and satellite images basically rendered such stations as redundant, Harper reversed those decisions in the name of winning seats. Nothing more but make work projects much like his ACOA reversal and pure crass politics for more votes.

Then Stephen committed the biggest of all sins for fiscal conservative anyways, he publicly berated and chastised Albertans and the Albertan government for attempting to seek out alternatives to the single tier single payer healthcare system that Canada shares in common with Cuba and North Korea. His attack was a carbon copy of the one Jean Chrétien performed some 10 years earlier on Alberta. An attack I might add, that caused the old Stephen Harper to see red, like someone waving a red cloth in front of a bull in Spain.

Things became so confusing at this point, that even Tony Clement joined in the act and threatened economic sanctions on Alberta. At this very point, I knew all was lost, that Stephen Harper had basically turned himself into a mainstream politician, and in doing so, became a liar and dishonest man in search of his place in history by finding a way to win a majority government at any cost.

As time dragged on, we also had his reversal of a planned privatization by the Liberals of a BC Crown Corporation during his first 5 days in office. And of course his complete change in attacking income trusts. The old Stephen Harper would have demanded that the role, size, and costs of the state be rolled back and monies concentrated on where they are actually needed. He even told me once on the phone, “Look Clinton, Canada’s doesn’t have revenue problem, Canada has a spending problem”, Of course now, if one actually takes the time to examine the government of Canada budget numbers, one quickly finds that total government program spending has increased higher then when Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin were in office, in other words, Stephen has completely forgotten about the spending problem that Canada has…

Things have regressed so badly in fact, that during a recent House of Commons debate, Stephen Harper, former Austrian school economist, now politician in Question Period on Tuesday September 26 2006 was involved in a debate with the NDP bragging about his spending habits:

http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=39&Ses=1&DocId=2352187#OOB-1653909

Jack Layton: "Does the Prime Minister believe that with these record surpluses, the ordinary Canadians who benefit from these programs are merely fat to be trimmed?"

Stephen Harper: "Mr. Speaker, despite all the hot air down there, the reality is that the new spending that this government has introduced in all of those areas far dwarfs any reductions the government made yesterday."

Now we let it rest, Harper is a spender, not just any spender, but a bigger spender then Paul Martin or Jean Chrétien and this should in fact be the final nail in the coffin. He can’t be trusted; he is a Liberal, maybe not a Liberal Party of Canada member, but basically a Paul Martin/John Manley Frank McKenna style Liberal; only Harper happens to believe that fostering a good working relationship with America and the President of America is important.

So Stephen congratulations, you have made the transformation from Austrian School economist who disliked political theatrics who had great taste in music, to a big government style Tim Horton’s Prime Minister, you and Chrétien would get along well…

Conservative Divide, Looking Down the Abyss

2006-10-13T00:55:00.000-03:00

Few people realize in the political realm that the ‘conservative’ movement is being torn apart by philosophical forces. Two groups of ideas are colliding against one another, and which for the most part are incompatible with one another.

The debate is not among, “right wingers”, whatever that term represents; I have always found it funny how traditional religiously motivated family values types can be lumped in with free market capitalists as one single group of “right wingers”.

When discussing income tax, something which “right wingers” must surely agree upon, the social conservative stands in stark contrast with the free market capitalist.

The social conservative wants income tax structured towards “family”. They wish that families be given special exemptions, be placed in lower tax brackets then single non-married individuals who have no children. They want ‘mom and dad’ to be able to combine incomes, have an entire host of “rebates”, and be given tax credits for a variety of functions such as sports, transportation, and arts.

In other words they want people who are not married and or married with no children to carry the income tax load for the “traditional family” unit because of some perceived benefit that family has over the individual. In other words classic social engineering, where regulation and legislation is used to punish one group in society to benefit another group.

The free market capitalist views income tax in stark contrast to the social conservative. The free marketer wants income tax simplified. The capitalist want tax collection structured towards a single flat rate, or “flat tax”; placed equally on all individual earners. They generally favor the debate to revolve around, “How Low Can We Go” in regards to income tax collection and do not support the game of subsidization of the family through tax exemptions, tax credits, rebates and so on. Equality is the name of the game where government is not choosing one segment of society over another segment.

The recent Sunday shopping debate in Nova Scotia clearly exacerbates tensions within the ‘conservative’ movement.

On one side of the debate, one usually finds the social conservative exposing terms such as: “democratic will”, “family values”, “Christian”, “tradition”, and “lifestyle” used in defense of government fining and shutting down business for doing business on a Sunday. A great deal of emotional bluster comes from the social conservative when a capitalist simply puts an ‘open for business’ sign in the window.

Social conservative types are convinced that the tax system and Sunday shopping laws needed to be social engineered so as to keep humanity one step closer from walking off the cliff and falling in the abyss.
In other words, neither faction shares anything in common. One believes in reducing the role and size of the state, eliminating regulation and legislation, the Capitalist. While the other wishes to maintain the state as it is to protect some imaginary societal culture and perhaps even state expansionism required for protection of the family, the Social Conservative.

Now all of this brings us back to the original point, the ‘conservative’ movement is being torn apart by philosophical forces where 2 groups of ideas are colliding against one another and no common ground exists. This seems to indicate to me anyways, that the old argument, “swallow your pride and make sure the other guy doesn’t get in” when it comes to election time has its days numbered.

We see growing numbers of free market capitalist moving towards other political movements such the Freedom Party of Canada, Libertarian Party of Canada, heck even a few have made their way into the Liberal Party of Canada of all places, while others remain with the Conservative Party. As a free market capitalist myself, I’m very excited about what the future holds, as change seems to be on the horizon. So here we are at the Conservative divide and we find ourselves looking down the abyss.

Annual Liberty BBQ Event My Place!

2006-07-17T22:06:00.000-03:00

The Annual Liberty BBQ Event held at my acreage in Cow Bay Nova Scotia is being planned for this year. If you want to attend let me know. Food, cigars, horseshoes and 2 guest speakers!

Nork Korea and Hip Fashions

2006-07-04T23:11:00.000-03:00

While the Dear Leader and his ever increasingly hip clothing line and retro sunglasses in North Korea pushed forward with his real nuclear weapons program, something which has been happening now for at least 15 years; Democrats and Republicans along with various international chums chased Iraq's non-existent nuclear weapons...The more things change, the more they stay the same. Enjoy the photo and have a drink on them, cheers!

Solidarity Sunday and the Anti-Capitalists

2006-06-23T23:15:00.000-03:00

Before I begin this column, here is a very important link for private property and freedom to choose: Ready To Be Served

Sunday June 18th 2006 will go down in Nova Scotia history as Solidarity Sunday.

Solidarity Sunday had thousands of sovereign individuals join in solidarity with the business community through the Sobeys and Loblaws grocer chains and people shopped on a Sunday. People voluntarily chose to work on Sunday while other people chose to voluntarily shop on Sunday.

The basic underlying tenet of capitalism has always been, and always will be private property ownership rights; something which acts as a natural right. It has been said that all freedoms and liberties come from the well of individual soveriegn private property ownership rights. Fundamental liberties associated with a freedom based society such as a the right to put an ‘open for business’ sign in the window via Sunday shopping are for individual Nova Scotians at least, one important step towards progress.

Many of the conservative types who are against Sunday shopping are from the older crowd, the rural types who were young when the majority of people were married and the vast majority of women stayed home and Sunday was a day for Christianity to flourish. They yearn for some fictitious idea of ‘family life’ with very limited liberties that no one but the politically connected ever really enjoyed.

It's quaint and entertaining to pontificate about how we need a "day of rest", which is really code words for bible related activities, after all here in Nova Scotia, the “day of rest” was brought in not by fiscal conservatives, but social conservatives with fiscal liberal mentalities, the worst of all combinations…and hence the law’s original name, “The Lords Day Act”.

We also have the social conservatives who expect to cram a week's worth of shopping and errands into 5 or 6 days. No one should have to work on a Sunday according to these waffles. Hence the silly flawed economic data which presents some ridiculous argument, that opening on a Sunday simply ‘spreads out 6 days of shopping into 7’. Should we only allow 3 days of shopping since 5 days is also a spread theory? Or somehow, ‘big business wins in the end’ type of argument…These people are anti-private property ownership rights, religiously driven and hence pro-theocratic and no friend of markets and capitalism.

The real reason why the social religious conservative types loath and fear the notion of loosing control is because it removes there power to be the nanny state morality police. When one looses control, one looses political power over others, and that is the real fear that the no Sunday shopping types have here in Nova Scotia.

Premier Rodney MacDonald now wants to jail businesspeople for having the audacity to place an ‘open for business sign’ in the window if it interferes with the religious types. He has announced that he is going to have a crack down on Sunday shopping.

To all of my readers, and I know there are many out there judging by the constant E-mail, the time has come to not vote for the Progressive Conservatives in Nova Scotia ever again, they are insipid and insulting and these repugnant and stupidity driven policies to jail businesspeople shows the kind of envy and dislike they have for the business community!

Ethel White: Let The Drug Be Administered Here Please

2006-06-07T20:47:00.000-03:00

I'm really heart broken over this, and I'm going to try and do anything I can to help this person.

VERY IMPORTANT CLICK LINK HERE She was featured on the news and something must be done soon
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethel Lorena White is your typical stay at home mom who has done her best to bring up 5 daughters while her husband John Gavin White was busy doing his best helping out his country in the RCMP. She has truly loved her 18 plus years of being a proud Blue Noser. She would volunteer for the kids while in school and do her best to contribute to the community.

Ethel however has something which makes her life a little more challenging then other 58 year old women who are similar to her. She was diagnosed with Metastatic bowel cancer back in Dec of 2004. Now Ethel is a fighter, and she has no interest in giving up, and her husband and 5 children are in her corner backing her up 100% whenever she needs a hand.

Every 2 weeks Ethel makes the trip to the Nova Scotia cancer center, and goes through the blood work which lasts 2 hours. Then she is connected to the treatment which she must endure for an additional 5 hours at a time, and then returns home for the commencement of an additional 43 hour connection. She has been doing this since February of 2005.

Now what may come as a shock to many people reading this for the 1st time is that the recommended medication, Avastin, to be used in combination with the chemotherapy is avaible only to Canadians living in Newfoundland and British Columbia where it has been approved for administering and public funding.

The Avastin which is to be used with the chemotherapy basically prevents the tumor from growing by cutting off the blood supply to it. And then Chemotherapy kicks in to kill the tumor.

The Nova Scotia government has been aware of this medication since at least December of 2005; and yet Ethel must endure the battle of cancer, hoping that someone somewhere in this province will take the appropriate action and give her a real fighting chance.

This medication has been available to not only the good folks in British Columbia and Newfoundland, but it has also been available to everyone in the United States. When will the various members of the Nova Scotia legislature take action and stop the inequality of the healthcare delivery system that so many hard working Nova Scotian depend on?

This drug must be used in the early stages of cancer treatment otherwise the tumor becomes too large and renders the medication useless. In other words, Ethel’s life expectancy is going to be dramatically reduced unless someone takes action and makes rational, logically, and reasoned decision very quickly

Now there are a number of things which the government can do:

(1) Approve Avastin and its public funding and administering here in Nova Scotia.
(2) Approve Avastin and its administering here in Nova Scotia
(3) Arrange for Ethel to have treatment in Newfoundland
(4) Arrange for Ethel to have treatment in British Columbia
(5) Arrange for Ethel to have treatment in the United States.

Ethel unfortunately has not been given a firm date of when Avastin if ever will be approved here in Nova Scotia. Now Ethel is not alone in this struggle, many other Nova Scotians are in a similar battle and could also benefit from Avastin.

Ethel and her fellow Nova Scotians who are suffering from this cancer require all of us to take action and demand that this drug be at least approved for administering and we can do this by contacting our local MLA’s. This is a way for all us to do something good which can only further make Nova Scotia the great place it is to live in.

Murdoch Buchanan To Lead the NS Conservatives?

2006-05-26T11:15:00.000-03:00

One would imagine that if John Buchanan, the man who won countless elections in Nova Scotia, put the call out for his son Murdoch, that Murdoch would find an organization very quickly.

The more important question: Is Murdoch Buchanan worried about the direction and focus of the party?

What happens if Rodney MacDonald blows this election? Would Murdoch put his name forward?

Don’t Vote Progressive Conservative This Time!

2006-05-24T21:30:00.000-03:00

Don’t Vote Progressive Conservative!

It is very important that any honest to goodness small ‘c’ conservative or libertarian not vote for Rodney MacDonald and his Progressive “Conservatives” for the upcoming provincial election here in Nova Scotia and here is why:

(1) Rodney and his less enlightened rubes will introduce regulation of fuel prices which really is a basic attack on free-market economics and consumer choice. It truly exposes the type of simple people who take part in the electoral process and the PCs that they think that regulation will somehow convince the house of Saud to lower its price for a barrel of crude…

(2) Rodney and his less enlightened hicks will introduce a massive universal prescription drug plan for every Nova Scotian which will only further cements the notion of single payer single tier healthcare a la North Korea and Cuba and further diminishes any possible options on greater choice in healthcare.

(3) Rodney MacDonald will continue to enforce the law which can put business people in jail for simply putting an ‘open for business” sign in the window on a Sunday. This alone shows the kind of envious hatred his crew holds towards people who are successful in life and contribute to society.

(4) Rodney MacDonald and his less enlightened malcontents were the ones who spear headed the no smoking on private property which is publicly accessible further proving that they truly hate individual choice and individual responsibility.

The simple fact of the matter is that there is ZERO difference between the NDP and the PCs; both support greater and growing intervention in our lives from everything which deals with social policy to economic policy. The only issue which is really for debate now is at what rate of growth should state expansionism occur? This means that there is NO alternative, simply 2 monkeys aping one another.

It is very important that the Progressive Conservatives are slapped and punished very sharply so that they can learn from their mistakes and attempt to introduce a real legitimate alternative for the next election in a few years time. Right now Rodney MacDonald has proven himself to be a lover socialist policy, the type of policy that John Buchanan so openly embraced while he was in power…If the NDP wins complete authority the PCs have no one but themselves to blame for their complete policy vacuum which has led us down the garden path of irrational, illogical, and unreasonable state control.

One last thing, let the NDP win, it would be a nice way to punish Nova Scotians and end this Chinese statist water torture that PCs have foisted upon us.

Atlantic Schooners

2006-05-20T00:53:00.000-03:00

Will the dream from 1984 ever happen? When will the Atlantic Schooners play the 1st game in Halifax? Will they keep the original idea for the helmet colours? Picture below was the home colours. And the next one was the away colours. If a team ever arrives here I will be the 1st to buy season tickets.

Nova Scotia Votes 2006: Who Will I Vote For?

2006-05-15T21:19:00.000-03:00

Nova Scotia is voting again in 2006. Who will I vote for? I have no idea to be honest. There is one issue which basically allows all other important issue which I support to trickle from: Private Property Ownership Rights.

So my questions to the leaders of the various parties are:

(1) Will you srap the no Sunday shopping law in this province?

(2) Will you scrap the fuel regulation idea?

(3) Will you scrap the no-smkoing law?

Depending on the type of answers I get to these questions will decide for me what I will do on election day.

Are Harper Conservatives really conservative?

2006-05-04T23:32:00.000-03:00

One of my favorite reads on the planet is the ever interesting and always informative Andrew Coyne. Not really sure where Coyne stands on the political spectrum; however the one thing he seems to truly yearn for is honesty.

So anyone who just wants New Democrats, Conservatives, and Liberals to be honest about their ever nutty ideas can’t be all that bad. Anyone who writes for the mainstream media and calls a spade a spade in the honesty department deserves an expensive cigar.

So here is a little gem which deserves to be read and reread at least 1000 times. It’s nice seeing honesty, reason, logic, and rational thought clearly pointed out in the mainstream media no matter where one stands on the political spectrum.

“Item: the budget proclaims its devotion to curbing runaway Liberal spending, complete with a promised "new approach to expenditure management" (how many times have we heard that before?).

Yet what is the actual Conservative spending plan? To spend more than the Liberals did -- more even than they planned to.

You think I jest. Look it up: Program spending for 2005-06, the fiscal year just ended, was first budgeted at $161.3-billion. By last November's Economic Update, that had risen to $163.7-billion. Six months later, the Tories have wrestled that down to ... $165.4-billion.

The same holds for the current fiscal year. Program spending, as of November: $170.7-billion. As of the Liberal election platform, $172.8-billion. As of this budget: $174.8-billion. And next year as well: Conservative spending will exceed the update's projection by nearly $5-billion. Bear that in mind in the coming days, as you listen to the screams of the wounded....”

So if conservatives actually believe in rolling back the role, size, and cost of the state, can someone explain how that happens with the Conservative budget? Furthermore how on earth does growth in the economy, itself, require growth in government spending to increase?

So which partisan small “c” conservatives who belong to the Conservative Party of Canada are prepared to walk away from this dishonest Conservative claim of fiscal responsibility that they themselves repeat like a fervent mantra?

For more "conservative" honesty on healthcare enjoy this link

Thanks goes out to Little Big Man!

The Harper Budget, What About the Gold in Our Pockets?

2006-05-03T00:01:00.000-03:00

The tax credits are complicated, to much work having to gather paper work for credits and exemptions and so on; this entire tax credit mess was something which Paul Martin and Chretien really enjoyed and Harper seems to have found love for as well. It causes the tax code to become more of a pain then what it already is. The GST cut is good. Now why not just introduce an income tax cut? Let's put some gold back in our pockets instead of Ottawa. Also is anyone else besides myself concerned with the massive spending increases? Why not just eliminate federal government departments? Which departments should be eliminated in the next Harper budget?

Will Harper Blink on Healthcare Reform First?

2006-04-19T22:59:00.000-03:00

Why is Harper raising concerns over Alberta's solutions?

As a transplanted Atlantic Canadian I have always admired Alberta, and in fact refer to it affectionately as, ‘The Motherland’; a place where strong work ethic is celebrated and promoted, where many fiscal conservatives and libertarians can feel at home.

Growing numbers of Canucks have grown tired of Canada’s ailing and dying single tier, single payer healthcare monopoly a la North Korea.

What has become disappointing however is the caliber of people who “offer” themselves to the public ballot. Each one promising to correct the inherit problems found in the faulty foundation of Canada’s medical system, yet when opportunity for change arises, the status quo continues…

The Alberta government has been doing it best to provide individuals choice in the medical system for those who choose to seek out private medical insurance, and private medical options. Why should anyone be forced to suffer because of some edict from Ottawa? Throughout this long and arduous journey however, Alberta has had to deal with virtuosic attacks from Ontario/Quebec politicians; and oddly enough federal Albertan politicians who claim to be Albertans, Joe Clark comes to mind…

Stephen Harper has become the latest shinning white knight of the Canada Health Act, writing letters to provinces like a born again Stephan Dion explaining how Ottawa wants things done.

Why has Harper made a point of attacking the Alberta government with a condescending letter of disapproval on Albertans seeking out private medical options?

Lecturing Albertans Paul Martin style, Harper says that his concern is “whether the expansion of private insurance would include publicly funded health services, leading to faster access for those who can afford private insurance," of course it would Stephen; that is the very point of introducing private free-market reforms so people do not have to suffer any longer then what they choose…

He has forgotten that Canada is made up of many local provincial governments and a single federal government. According to our Constitution, and our Charter, which of course act as the law of the land, no matter how flawed those documents are; medical services is generally run by the province not Ottawa. So Ottawa should quite frankly butt out where it doesn’t belong.

Stephen is so upset with Alberta reforms which allow doctors to work in both the private and public health sector that he espouses a little gem which could have come straight out of the mouth of Jean Chrétien: "Moreover, such dual practice may be a magnet for rural physicians to migrate to urban centres." Since when is it the job of Ottawa to tell Doctors in Alberta where they are allowed to work?

There was also a time when Harper loathed politicians who attempted to expand federal intervention into provincial matters. Times have changed though; as with most so-called “conservatives”, Harper has changed his ‘moral compass’ suddenly and quickly. His views have “evolved” as he himself has said on numerous occasions.

The best part of Stephen’s analysis however is the following mantra which has been repeated darkly so often by Jack Layton of the NDP: "Furthermore, dual practice legitimizes queue-jumping as it provides an approved mechanism for patients to pay to seek treatment at the front of the line." Well golly, imagine that Prime Minister Harper, individual Albertans who are tired of suffering and dying in a Cuban style medical system wanting to find a way to get quicker treatment…

I was born in Ottawa, why would I presume to tell individual Albertans that they must suffer and die in the name of Canada’s healthcare? Furthermore, why would a Torontonian like Harper raise concerns over Alberta's solutions?

Send Clinton Feedback

Many thanks to Kayla, my number 1 fan for getting this column rolling!

***VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE***
CALGARY (CP) - Federal Health Minister Tony Clement isn't ruling out holding back transfer payments to Alberta if the province's Third Way health-care reforms violate the Canada Health Act.

But the minister says he expects full co-operation from Alberta and points out he has yet to see the government's final proposal.

Clement says withholding transfer payments is the only tool Ottawa has if a province violates the act, but he admits it's a "blunt instrument."

He says his only concern at this point is the potential impact of a dual system allowing private and public health care to co-exist.

Clement met with Alberta Health Minister Iris Evans on Wednesday.

The Alberta government caucus is meeting in Calgary to decide how the province should proceed with its Third Way plan.

Nova Scotia Senate Elections?

2006-04-18T21:55:00.000-03:00

Now that Stephen Harper has had time to settle in that ever so stressful life of being Prime Minister of Canada, one expects a senate election to be held in Nova Scotia soon. With John Buchanan taking his provincial and federal pension with him out of Ottawa, can we expect a senate election here in Nova Scotia? Would Harper appoint the choice of Nova Scotians?

It seems that Nova Scotia's newest boss, the ever youthful Rodney MacDonald would have no problems moving Nova Scotia into the 21st century of democracy and in doing so gain his own political points. So when will Harper call for Senate elections in Nova Scotia to replace John Buchanan?

Welcome to the 21st century Mr. Harper...

Disenchantment with the Kingdom

2006-04-16T19:15:00.000-03:00

Exile and the Kingdom is Jeff Martin's(former lead singer and guitar player of The Tea Party) first solo album. Very quickly throwing this album in my audiophile equipment, the headphones working there way over my ears, with so much anticipation; suddenly and quickly, that anticipation changed into disenchantment with Jeff Martin and the Kingdom.

The opening song is fantastic from an ambiance and lyrical vibe, “World Is Calling”, however something must have happened in the finished recording process. The drum sound is buried deep in the mix to the point that one gets the feeling that the drums were either recorded in a terrible studio, or simply added into the song as an afterthought. It also seems to be missing a consistent and well recorded driving bass to assist the backbeat.

The same thing happens with track 2 on the album, it seems to me anyways, that this album needed the guidance of a proper producer, or seasoned veteran like Jimmy Page to insist that drum and bass lines would be the backbeat and backbone to the guitar.

Somewhere in the middle section of the album lies a great song called, “Daystar” which reminds one of The Tea Party’s Middle Eastern B-Sides or the Alhambra EP. This song in particular seems to have been recorded correctly with drums and bass well pronounced.

The guitar work is phenomenal, something which would make a Rory Gallagher or Jimmy Page smile with delight. The guitar work harkens back to the Led Zeppelin III era.

Oddly enough, if the album credits are any indication, Jeff Martin left behind the world music power trio, The Tea Party, for another trio. Even more strange however, no bass player is found in the credits anywhere, which seems to indicate that if a bass player is brought on tour, he/she will be nothing more a but a paid musician expected to follow orders…

Also when reading through the linear notes one quickly understands that a Jeff Martin solo album is exactly that, and not just any solo album, but a solo album created by a micromanager…

Hopefully the next album with Jimmy Page, will be more balanced from a recording perspective.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Puttin On the Ritz with James Tormé

2006-03-19T20:50:00.000-04:00

The following is an interview which was featured in the March issue of the Beacon, a newspaper based out of Cow Bay/Eastern Passage/Shearwater/Woodside, hope I didn't forget any community.

At the tender age of 32, this Leo, James Tormé, son of Mel Tormé who was one of the most, if not the most important musicians of the 20th century, is preparing to spread his wings and follow the fertile path tilled by his father. His new album is called “Comin Home”.Loaded with modern jazz, and combined with an elegant touch of tradition; creating a unique style all his own, which would make his father smile with envy!

At what point James did you begin to realize that music was going to become a serious outcome and journey in your life?

James Tormé: “It was more a question of just growing up with and it, it was always built in me, at the age 10 I knew for sure.”

Having your dad as a famous American singer, and your mom being a famous British supermodel, and having a deep understanding of both sides of the pond, how different are the musical audiences on each side of the Atlantic?

James Tormé: “They are very different in some big areas but yet similar in others, the Americans love the popular charts, while England and Europe does as well, however England and Europe in general can get behind an artist in specific genres that would not normally be heard on North America radio. So it makes for a more interesting journey if you want to try and do something a little different.”

How has that experience of living on both sides of the Atlantic shaped your view of your dad, and the music you play now?
James Tormé: “It’s about the linage, he was my musical hero, I never worried about it because I had music inside of me and my dad knew I had music in me as well. I remember being in the studio with dad when he re-united with Marty Paich for the double album back in the late 80’s. I was there the whole time just soaking in the energy of what goes on in a studio with professionals.”

“Dad taught me how you use a light, almost ‘throw-away’ tone on the vocal at first, and then build to an emotional crescendo as the song progresses. Pretty logical stuff really.”

When working on a song idea or an album in the studio, do you prefer to work with a live band, or build a song in multiple stages in a more laboratory fashion?

James Tormé: “Depends on the cast you are working with, I prefer to try and nail it live in the studio with a live band if you can, and do so quickly. It becomes impossible to re-create certain moments, the essence can be lost if one attempts to work it to hard for perfection.”

“My dad taught me how to keep my composure while in the studio, and he taught me the importance of breathing at the right spaces. He never warmed his voice up ever when recording in the studio; he very rarely did anything but test his voice with nothing more but a single phrase. For the rest of us mere mortals on the other hand it takes plenty of hard work.”

The new versions of some of your dad’s songs that you have recorded are excellent; I notice they have your dad’s vibe, mixed with a bit of Michael Bublé which creates sort of a unique style all of your own.

James Tormé: “Thanks mate that means a lot to me, it really does it’s nice to have someone who has sat and thought about the music in detail.”

How do you like the direction of where music is going in a general sense for the masses?

James Tormé: “Music is always loosing quality in the general sense; it is being simplified in growing stages. First the melodies were butchered and basically removed altogether. Then the harmonies are reduced and removed. Now it’s just a drumbeat, and even the drumbeat has been simplified in stages.”

“The old songs are on a totally different level, the romance the decency, its all gone now.”
What are your plans for touring behind the new songs and promoting the album?

James Tormé: Well a world tour of Paris, Milan, London, and the South Western United States is in the works right now as we speak, with time over in Japan towards the end of the tour. We have a lot of shows coming up.”

Any plans to play north of the border here in Canada?

James Tormé: “I would really love to play in Canada; I think it would be great, I know that my dad had a following in Canada so it would be fun to play on the northern part of North America.”

Have you played either Atlantic City New Jersey or Vegas Nevada?

James Tormé: “No I haven’t played Atlantic City yet, we did some time in Nevada”

How did the Desert mess around with your vocal chords?

James Tormé: “In Nevada I was lucky I guess, did not have any vocal problems at all, the dry throat wasn’t a problem. Made sure to get in the steam room early in the day, and drank plenty of water, and the combination of that helps ease your chords. “

What did you think of Canada’s Michael Bublé and his phrasing and pitch when you first heard it?

James Tormé: “Buble’s phrasing is like my dads, certain notes and pitches you can tell he has a very similar style to my dad.”

Any plans for the next album yet?

James Tormé: “David Paich, who is the son of Marty, will be working with me. Marty of course was my dad’s guy, much like Nelson Riddle was to Frank Sinatra; anyways David and I will probably be writing a couple of songs together.”

How do you like the progress of your older brother Steve on his last 3 albums? www.SteveMarchTorme.com

James Tormé: “My hats off to him, I love him dearly, and his stuff sounds great, he seems to have found his path as well which makes me even more proud of him.”

How nervous does it make you feel when you realize that your dad could play a gig to a sold out house basically anywhere in North America, England, Australia, and Japan and you will be compared to him at length?

James Tormé: “It fills me with pride, and at the same time it gives me confidence, and makes me happy. I love a challenge and this will be a challenge. His accomplishments make you want to do well. He was my musical idol and my number one influence. I was like a muse to him. When I was growing up he'd bounce ideas off me all the time. My input meant a lot to him, which was inspiring for me from a confidence perspective.”

“Amazingly I have a similar tone to my dad on certain notes. Sometimes when the notes begin, it starts flanging, when I hit them just right and the flanging happens it freaks my sister out because she can hear my dad in my voice.”

Where did the recording process and live audience process begin for you?

James Tormé: “My old Emerson cassette recorder, my first tape was Off the Wall by Michael Jackson; I was a fan of soul and R&B when I was really young. I was an R&B singer in the beginning. It has only been about year now that I have been focusing primarily on jazz.”

“It really began for me when I was playing late nights at The Viper Room, you must have heard of the Viper Room venue yourself being a fan of music, it would always end with me singing an A capella version of Round Midnight, something which my dad sang and recorded of course.”

So can we buy the new album directly from your website?

James Tormé: “Yes, you can buy it from the website and I will sign it if the people want me to as well.”

And with that ended what I hope will be many interviews with James Tormé, son of the great Mel Tormé and soon to be a star on his own. Looks to me anyhow that James Tormé will indeed be putting on the Ritz for some time to come!

Also be sure to check out his website: www.JamesTorme.com/

The Environmentalists Verses The Backseat Lovers

2006-03-18T23:48:00.000-04:00

I have always argued for years that the libertarian types actually enjoy life, and to a lesser extent the conservative types do as well (except for the pot and gambling stuff) as witnessed by cigar smoking, scotch & wine drinking and the love of large automobiles. Heck we don’t even care about the exhaust emissions emanating from our BBQ’s and wood stove chimney’s as we grill steaks and burn wood.

The Liberal and New Democrat types on the other hand are always concerned with what is going to happen to not them, but with their great grand children’s great grand children. Hence the public attacks on people who heat their homes with woodstoves, they alo have the audacity to holler at people who light up a cigar in a restaurant, and then there is the ever funny ‘small car syndrome’ that so many lefties suffer from.

The here and now can be fun something which many on the left don’t seem to understand because well you know, ‘the man is getting us down’, or ‘all males are bastards’ or ‘humans are inherently evil and need to be controlled’ mantras always being discussed amongst the tribe.

It really boils down to the environmentalists verses the back seat lovers. One side understands the value of a Hummer H1, or Nissan Maxima for the games which can happen in the backseat, while the other side doesn’t care about having fun in the backseat, hence the Smart car…

You see when I was growing up; going out to a party on a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night was fun. Heck the goal of the game was to find some chick that you could make a connection with and see if later that night you could offer her a drive home and maybe have a complete work out in the backseat on some quite peace of road in Cow Bay or Cumberland or someplace. Those full size American cars like Lincolns, New Yorkers, Cadillac’s, and even the full size Asian cars could be fun. Plenty of legroom and lots of maneuvering space could mean a really fun night. It sort of reminds me of that bumper sticker I saw on Chrysler Grand Caravan once, “if the van be rocking, don’t come knocking”.

You want to take some broad on a romantic picnic getaway on a warm Sunday afternoon, forget about it now days; the lefties are insisting that everyone drive those God awful ugly hybrid cars which run on electricity with tiny little backseats, or even worse, the Smart car. Talk about a mind numbing experience, but hey its okay, its being done for your great grand children’s great grand children…

The excitement of making love in the backseat of a car late at night is soon to be a permanent thing of the past, so I like said, it’s about the environmentalists verses the backseat lovers. So do yourself a favor and go out one night on a lonely piece of quite road with that special someone and put the thoughts of David Suzuki in the back of the mind somewhere buried nice and deep where it belongs.

Canada Pension Plan Reforms, Voluntarily Opting Out

2006-03-05T10:40:00.000-04:00

Being an economics and money sort of guy, I remember being a Young Turk who had a number of friends who were also interested in making vast fortunes in life. Three of my buddies in particular, had become involved with multi level marketing business plans.

Now for those of you who don’t know what multi level marketing is, I will explain quickly and how it relates to this column; you see things like Amway, are what is commonly referred to as pyramid schemes in laymen terms.

In other words, the goal is to get as many people involved underneath you, where you take a cut of their sales or membership fees. They are based on the notion that building a mass of workers under you over time allows you to reap unrealistic benefits from those beneath you in the pyramid. People under you are promised that they will also get the same benefits as you over time and they just need to ensure that a mass of workers under themselves continues.

The money works its way to the top of the pyramid each time. The problem of course, is that the only way to make any money, is growing the pyramid forever, the minute your Amway plans stop growing, and in fact ages, it begins to collapse onto itself like a house built of a deck of cards.
Now back to the Canada Pension Plan talk, what happens when a population ages? Immigration/refugee levels begin to drop? And greater payouts are made to those collecting from the existing system?
The entire scheme begins to crumble unto itself like a house built from a deck of cards.
Nothing can prevent the natural and moral underpinnings of the free-market. Pyramid schemes sound great in an utopist kind of way for people who ignore reason, rational though, and logic but reality always kicks in at some point to remind you that the world is black and white.
The Canada Pension Plan is really nothing more but a massive multi level marketing scheme at best, a pyramid scam a la Amway at worst. Many people will recall the massive increase in Canada Pension Plan deductions. This was really nothing more but a massive transfer of intergenerational wealth to keep the pyramid which is Canada Pension Plan from collapsing onto itself a little while longer.

Most thinking people understand that if an individual were given a waiver, so as to be able to opt out of making payments into the Canada Pension Plan, and invest that money through private means, returns would be much larger and fruitful. Any serious intelligent economics person understands that you forget about short term easy gains, the ‘here and now’, and focus more on the medium and long term future.

I recall in the early to mid 1990’s when riots were broadcasted for the world to see when people in certain countries realized after national pension plan collapse that it was all just a pyramid scam. People had been ill prepared to plan their own future and retirement.

Those images have stuck with me ever since and motivated me to attempt to do something about it. Back in around 1997, I was at national political youth convention in Calgary. At this convention, I was speaking at microphone and discussed a plan where as to allow people to opt out of the Canada Pension Plan if they so wish. Now of course many people in that room approached me afterwards and told me it was a fascinating idea which deserved more discussion, those were the business types, and people who understood pyramid schemes. The other half of that room was ambivalent, the political types.

It seems to me that if the current Conservative Government of Canada was interested in providing people the freedom to choose, a plan which removed the coercive nature of the Canada Pension Plan would be a great way to providing an alternative to the existing mess.

People who assume they don’t have enough money to retire with, in many cases don’t understand that if the minimum amounts of money which is currently expropriated and confiscated on their paychecks, were aggressively invested over a 35 year period in the markets, that their rate of return would far surpass what they will in fact receive from the Canada Pension Pan.

The other problem with the Canada Pension Plan is that it has created a false sense that the state will be there to look after you when you age, when in fact many of us understand that is wrong to begin with. The only person, who is going to look after you, is you and this is a lesson that many people taking parts in riots in other countries during the early 1990’s figured out the hard way.

So it seems to make a great deal of sense for individuals to be given a waiver which relinquishes them from making payments into the Canada Pension Plan if they voluntarily consent to do so. The express understanding that the Canada Pension Plan payments will not be directed towards you in the future, would ensure that those participating in this multi level marketing tool or pyramid scheme would in fact be getting the payments that they made and concentrate greater amounts of CPP money on those who actually want it. The other advantage to making payments voluntary is that it allows those of us who wish to maximize our private investments to do so, without having to borrow money from other options.

Individual voluntary consent when dealing with financial issues is the best way to foster a strong economy, and strong individuals which will create a strong nation.

So should the Conservative Government of Canada make Canada Pension Plan Payments Voluntary?

Should The Conservative Government of Canada Make Employment Insurance Payments Voluntary?

2006-02-27T07:28:00.000-04:00

At the present time when someone is working for a living, they have no choice, but are coerced into paying Employment Insurance, even if they have never bothered to use the system in the past when times may have been tough. Should people be offered a waiver to opt out of this scheme if they so wish?

One must wonder what kind of Prime Minister would have introduced the Employment Insurance scheme in the first place. If conservatives believe in rolling back the size and role of the state while at the same time offering individuals’ choice, how could any Conservative be apposed to such a minor altercation to the existing welfare state?

1st: It's a tax on jobs, thereby decreasing the amount of jobs in the market place which in the long run is unhealthy for an economy and choice.

2nd: Many people consider it a paid vacation, if one is no longer happy with their present employment opportunities they have an option which in many cases is paid for by others who have no option to opt out if they so choose.

3rd: There is no "safety net” for entrepreneurs, those who actually make the world go round that the rest of us enjoy. You have to be in the privileged position of being an employee to someone else to enjoy the fruits of such 'progressive' social policy as Employment Insurance.

If insurance wasn't removed from your pay automatically without your voluntary consent, maybe more people would save money and take care of themselves and their families and be prepared in case they ever lose their current employment. Perhaps everyone should have 2% of their pay each month put into their own individual EI account, and when they are unemployed they can access that money only.

So, should The Conservative Government of Canada Make Employment Insurance Payments Voluntary, or continue with the existing system of socialist statism?

Great Day

2006-02-26T19:28:00.000-04:00

Another great day.

Calling on Friends of Liberty

2006-02-22T07:42:00.000-04:00

Calling on friends of liberty, all those who are interested in doing some heavy lifting in the name of liberty, please E-Mail me, we are in the very early stages vf750f@hotmail.com

Changes, Liberty, and the Ski Hill

2006-02-21T21:30:00.000-04:00

Last Friday I was so excited with what has been happening within Liberty circles that I decided to take the day off from work and burn some energy. I have managed to build up some free time; so off I was with my son. We spent 6 hours on the slopes. The whole time the discussions and talk of passing around the bucket to collect money to build the organization was on my mind. Anyways here is the photo of the old man himself, my boy, and his private instructor who has been giving the 3 year old his lessons!

PS: The whole way home from the ski trip we had Mel Torme and Frank Sinatra cranked up loud

What Advice Would You Give Them?

2006-02-20T21:05:00.000-04:00

If someone was going to start a new federal political party somewhere East of Ontario based on economic liberty and social liberty; and do so while holding a total of 13 organizational/founding meetings simultaneously in each province and territory, what quick advice would you give them?

What better place to create this new entity then in the heart of confederation, Charlottetown Prince Edward Island? Western Standard would have a ball with it!

The problem with previous experiments with federal political alternatives is that the mainstream media has been able to tar them as “Western based”, which has basically limited growth potential within the electorate. If however a new party was created in Atlantic Canada for example with a strong contingent of support from each province, it would escape this initial tarring by the national media.

250 guests show up from each province and territory and are "invited to debate economic and social liberty polices" while at the same time regional meetings are attended by those unable to make it to the big show, then a vote is held:

(1) Work within an existing party to hopefully change policy

(2) Create a new party based on the principles and policies debated at meeting in the heart of confederation

Invite key guests from media, advocacy groups, and political activists from existing parties

Contact key money organizers from Quebec within the ADQ and former Western Reform Party money people, as well as Altantic Canadian United Alternative money people. Then sit back and enjoy the ride!

The Prophet and Freedom of the Press

2006-02-14T23:15:00.000-04:00

I understand as a good friend of mine from Turkey who follows the Muslim faith has explained to me that for people of the Muslim faith, any depiction of the Prophet Mohammed is considered blasphemous at best.

However I’m not a Muslim nor do I live in a nation which practices Shari law; nor do we live under a theocracy no matter how much some social conservatives from whichever faith wish we did.

I live in a nation which is governed by the British North America Act/Constitution Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms no matter how flawed one may think those documents are.

Freedom of the press and freedom of speech are some of the fundamental basic tenants which living in a freedom based society encourages.

It seems to me that when slightly more then 30% of Canadians don’t own the Internet and are unable to access Internet news, it is encompassing for the television media and print media to showcase what is at the center of the single largest international news story in the world today.

So the question is, why are Canadian media doing such a bad job of actually performing their duties? Let’s be honest, it has nothing to do with not wanting to offend religious people. After all Rolling Stone magazine makes fun of Jesus on its front cover and no one blinks an eye, let alone torch and burn down buildings, organizing massive bloody riots and basically acting like the same savage animals one sees at world economic meetings.

The reason the Canadian media, academic circles, and political establishment are refusing to show the cartoons and condemn anyone who wishes to view them is because of the Salman Rushdie rule. Remember the Satanic Verses? When Salman Rushdie wrote the classic novel Satanic Verses, which mentioned a number of women with the same names as those of the Prophet Mohammed wives in a particular chapter, all hell broke loose. It taught the world an important lesson, stand up for freedom of speech and freedom of expression or hunker down like a coward in the trenches of fear.

How cowardly are the Canadian media and political establishment? It has nothing to do with taking a principled stance; it does however have everything to do with fears of fire bombings taking place in Canada. So when push comes to shove, freedom of speech and freedom of expression will be shackled because some people refuse to understand that not everyone in Canada follows religious Muslim faith.

So I ask again, when will the center of the largest international story in the world be shown for all of us non-Muslims to make up our own individual minds if the cartoons really warranted the torching and burning down of buildings?

The Conservatives and the Gun Registry

2006-02-14T15:17:00.000-04:00

Well it looks to me anyways that the truth behind the Conservative policy on the right to bear arms is being show with this link, why not just fire this person once and for all instead of just moving them around so that they can only do more damage? http://www.tdhstrategies.com/home.html

Here is the full story from that link:

February 14, 2006 - Harper promotes top Gun Registry bureaucrat.

Maryantonett Flumian was Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Firearms Centre from February 2000 to June 2001. For many years, Ms. Flumian provided a huge thorn in the sides of Conservatives, who largely blamed her for the ballooning costs of the gun registry. For example, take a look at this exchange during hearings before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts on March 26, 2003, where Flumian was grilled as a witness by Conservative MP Garry Breitkreuz:

"Mr. Garry Breitkreuz: According to Treasury Board guidelines, you were the project leader and you were to be personally and visibly accountable for all aspects of the program. Did you not have a responsibility to ensure that those reports got to the people at the top responsible for this?

Ms. Maryantonett Flumian: The way the project was being managed, because it was not officially designated, most of the dialogue was at the working level, and our reports were submitted.

Mr. Garry Breitkreuz: So those people ultimately responsible, your political masters, never saw those reports?

Ms. Maryantonett Flumian: There was no official designation, so the work was done at the officials level to ensure that as we were going through this, we kept as many people as possible informed of the proposed changes and of the consequences of the proposed changes.

Mr. Garry Breitkreuz: This contradicts what previous witnesses said, that this was treated as a major crown project. If it was treated as a major crown project, you, as the project leader, would have to be accountable for all aspects of the program and to report to those people. You're not sure those reports got there. You'd have to submit those reports to Treasury Board. Did they not get there? Treasury Board should then have been aware of what was going on in the program. Didn't you feel some kind of responsibility to inform your political masters that this project could never be implemented, that all the firearms in Canada could probably never be registered, that the costs would skyrocket?"

In February 2005, Flumian was promoted to Deputy Minister of Service Canada, which was a new agency created by the Liberal government to create a single point of contact for all government services, from tax advice to passports to job assistance. Tories went crazy at that announcement, not only because of Flumian's involvement, but also because even though the plan would save billions of dollars in the long run, it was going to cost hundreds of millions to set up.

The common complaint was that if Flumian could screw up the gun registry to the tune of billions of dollars, then why give her a second chance? (also check out this post by another well-known Conservative blogger)

Well, maybe they should be asking themselves that question, because on February 7, 2006, this is what Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced:

Prime Minister announces changes in the senior ranks of the Public Service

Peter, is it freedom of the press or Islam?

2006-02-14T00:57:00.000-04:00

First Peter Mackay wants to promote religion (Islam) internationaly with your taxes and now this from the media:

While Canadians have a right to free speech, it’s unfortunate that the cartoons have been republished here, considering the controversy and outrage they have sparked worldwide, said Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Kim Girtel.

“Canada attaches importance to both freedom of speech and to respect for cultural diversity and ethnic and religious differences,” she said. “The government of Canada does not determine the content of media publications. The cartoons are offensive to many, and given the impact they may have, it is regrettable that they’ve been republished.”

Does anyone in the Conservative Party actually support freedom of the press anymore or freedom of speech? Why is it "regrettable" for the Western Standard to be doing what a free press should be doing in the 1st place: and that is to show the cartoons which are at the center of the biggest international news story in the world today?

Have Inxs Switched

2006-02-13T23:32:00.000-04:00

As a long time Inxs fan, who has insisted since the day that Elegantly Wasted was released back in 1997, the last album with Michael Hutchence, that it was a classic for the ages, Wasted was the best album that the band will ever record.

The new guy, who also happens to be a Canuck, JD Fortune gets his crack at filling in some might big shoes on the new album Switch. He has an eerily similar vocal style in the lower and mid register which obviously is the range vocally which best suits most Inxs album tracks.

However for the big singles such as “Baby Don’t Cry”, “Elegantly Wasted”, and “New Sensation” which rely on vocal bombast, Fortune’s range lacks the drive at the upper end of the register. One completely comes to the understanding that he is no Michael Hutchence, he lacks the sustained clarity that Hutch could bellow with on an album, while also doing it night in, and night out while on tour.

The opening track from the album, “Devil’s Party” is a great song which Fortune co-wrote with Andrew Farris. It sounds just like something which Hutchence would have wrote with his main song writing partner, guitarist Andrew Farris; a great song, and probably the best on the album.

“Pretty Vegas” which is the next track after “Devil’s Party”, is a great Inxs song, however, real Inxs fans will know it was tacked together from equal parts “Strangest Party, These Are the Times” and a few other Inxs gems from the back catalogue which I will not bore you with.

Track number 3 on the album, “Afterglow” combines that classic Inxs slow mood song which they and later U2 also perfected. Lyrically it’s great, because you know immediately that Andrew Farris wrote this song as a way to deal with the after effects of Michael’s death.

After tracks 1, 2, and 3 the rest of the album is lacking completeness. The middle and near end of the album is filled with either incomplete ideas, or all out filler.

It does however close out with a great fucking song called, “God’s Top 10” which is very emotional, and lyrically will knock you over. So there you have it, of all 11 tracks, as a long time Inxs fan, I have been able to find 4 songs which are worth multiple listens. The problem of course is that Andrew Farris is forced to carry the entire load musically and lyrically. Let’s be honest, although Jon Farris wrote the odd track with Hutch, Inxs was really about Andrew Farris and Michael Hutchence.

That Inxs is gone, it’s over, and tainted in some ways by appealing to the masses In America and Canada via reality Karaoke TV. Will this new partnership of Farris and Fortune flourish? Time will tell, when the next full length album is released, and JD Fortune will have had time to fully insert himself into the group dynamic we will have found our answer. Chemistry can be hard to create, if its not there, you won’t want to listen to it either.

2 ½ out of 5 for Switch

Achieving Economic Justice

2006-02-11T11:07:00.000-04:00

The 3 mainstream old line parties in Canada at the federal level have grown tired, inefficient, and dishonest. A culture of deep seeded crass political opportunism is rooted as the basis of the current options being provided to Canadians.

As my good friend and columnist Pierre Lemieux has said, Canadians don’t really have a legitimate choice which would work at achieving political economic justice.

To be perfectly honest, I am not satisfied with the choices that are presented to those of us who support and endorse individual rights, free-market economics, and accountability.

What we have witnessed time and time again, are members of parliament crossing over to other parties in the House of Commons all for the sake of 30 pieces of silver and the never ending game of state expansionism.

At a time and age where most countries are looking at bringing about economic justice by unloading and privatizing crown corporations and state run organizations and monopolies which work to no ones advantage in the long run; we have witnessed here in Canada the very opposite, with the current government insisting that crown corporations remain active and in fact further funded.

Consumption taxes should be reduced, however, income taxes are an issue which most legitimate economists insist need be dealt with by introducing deep and dogmatic reductions in what the state expropriates and confiscates for the tax payer’s burden, the collective welfare state.

Let’s be honest, not one single candidate at the present federal leadership level in Canada understands the notion of rolling back the state, and I know this because I have witnessed the change from 3 individuals in particular who once pretended to be champions of freedom. Furthermore because of the deep rooted system of ignoring rational thought, reason, and logic within the existing parties, it severely limits any chance of change within because the only option would be a scorched earth approach within those organizations.

The basis of a new political entity at the federal level should be something which the majority of Canadians endorse, free-market economics, reducing the role and size of the state, and honest accountability.

An honest discussion of important issues should happen, and as recent court decisions have shown, healthcare in Canada is not some sacred cow not to be touched. In fact it was because of an ordinary Canadian in Montreal that people in the province of Quebec now have the right to seek private for profit healthcare.

Has the time come for a new political entity? If a new political entity was created in Central or Eastern Canada with the purpose of being an alternative to the NDP, Liberals, and Conservatives, would Western Canadians support it as well?

The problem with previous experiments with political alternatives is that the mainstream media has been able to tar them as “Western based”, which has basically limited growth potential within the electorate. If however a new party was created in Atlantic Canada for example with a strong contingent of support from each province, it would escape this initial tarring by the national media.

Previous alternatives to the 3 old line mainstream parties also had electoral ceilings placed on them besides the “Western Based” tag, because on many issues they were ahead of their time as witnessed by the old Reform Party’s views on balancing budgets, paying down debt, and cutting income taxes. Although it should be pointed out that the old Social Credit party was able to win seats not only in Western Canada but large significant numbers in the province of Quebec as well. As these various alternatives came into being, the critical mass was not there to allow them to create the change needed; therefore these previous political alternatives adapted to the political realities of the time and quickened their eventual demise as they became part of the problem that they wanted to correct in the first place.

Many of these alternatives arrived on the scene too soon. In the late 80's and 90's the ground became fertile for potential change; however the seeds of that change needed to be planted. In the year 2006 we now have broad cynicism and complete discontent with the mainstream parties as witnessed by the low voter turnout.

The discontent in the past however was primarily centered on specific issues for specific regions, where as now the central government and its advocates, the mainstream statist parties are also held with deep suspicion and viewed as repugnant.

After the Mulroney, Chrétien/Martin eras, and now the shaky start to Harper, there is much more widespread discontent with the system and its advocates. Discontent with the centralization of power at all levels of government and the corruption it has breed. Voter backlash and anger within society, and with regard for voters only as a means to an end. The view now is that anything justifies power for the sake of power and the continual expansion of the state.

A new party based on individual rights, private property ownership rights, free market economics, and honest accountability created in Atlantic Canada would need the immediate support of something like Western Standard News Magazine, and the likes of writers such as Terrance Corcoran from Ontario, and Quebec based Pierre Lemieux to find a base to build upon.

So has the time come for achieving economic justice? In the words of Barry M Goldwater, “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue”

Gerry is Tough

2006-02-10T22:45:00.000-04:00

This is a great site, if you think I have been rough on Stephen, wait till you read what my good buddy Gerry over at the NCC says! Here is the link: http://gerrynicholls.blogspot.com/

Promote Religion with Taxes!!

2006-02-09T22:56:00.000-04:00

The absolutely wrong idea today was chosen by the Conservative government of Canada led by Stephen Harper, and his cabinet including Peter Mackay are 100% wrong on this issue:

"The Government of Canada will continue to promote a better understanding of Islam internationally, in partnership with Muslim communities."

I had no idea today that the reason my income is collected in the form of taxes by the Canadian government was for the purpose of promoting religion and also promoting religion in other countries...Does anyone support freedom of the press and freedom of speech anymore?

Yes He Supports The Free Market Indeed....

2006-02-08T15:30:00.000-04:00

This is from a major national newspaper today: "Harper also revealed on Tuesday he has already sought and received Emerson's advice on, and support for, the new Tory government's decision Tuesday to cancel the planned Liberal privatization of a Crown corporation in northwestern B.C."

Yes, he supports the free market indeed...

Don't look for a hero in this world because there are none. The only person you can ever expect to count on, and who will do the right thing, is you. You can choose to act in a rational, reasoned, and logical manner. There are no good guys anymore to be found. From now on I plan to write about music, cheers!

The Shit Continues, The More Things Change The More It Stays The Same

2006-02-07T00:16:00.000-04:00

Does anyone remember when Brian Tobin from Newfoundland was appointed to the cabinet back in the summer of 2000 before the federal election by Jean Chretien? It nice to see that so many Conservatives from East and West forgot what they said now that Michael Fortier sits in cabinet...

Does anyone remember Belinda and Brison? Oh how the folks from the hinterland were angry over cabinet seats, oh well, its okay if its Emmerson I guess...

I noticed today some very interesting hedging on when the gun registry will be abolished as well. I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same. Those early days in Dartmouth Nova Scotia back in 1990 when Hayek was the rage have changed indeed...

Perhaps when home in Calgary while surfing on the mac and visiting blogs you might remember those days.

How Bad Can A Yes Vote Be?

2006-01-10T00:11:00.000-04:00

The federal Bloc Québécois and its charismatic leader Gilles Duceppe wins the overwhelming majority of seats from the province of Quebec, in the National Parliament of Canada in the next Canadian federal election. The openly gay and former cocaine snorting separatist André Boisclair and his provincial Parti Québécois win the next provincial election in province of Quebec.

The federal Liberal Party of Canada, who many claim are responsible for the sponsorship scandal, is the tool that many claim will drive Quebec out of Canada once and for all.

Immediately the Bloc Québécois and the Parti Québécois begin to lay the groundwork for the next provincial Quebec referendum; and the eventual majority rule in favor of the secessionist option of creating a new nation based on some fictionist idea that “a people exists based on language”. I’m not anti-French by the way, I’m a bilingual Acadian who learned to speak French first.

How bad can a yes vote be for Atlantic Canada?

I doubt the highest levels of the United States government whether Republican or Democrat would sit and wait for further instability at their borders as France and many of its wealthy African cousins publicly support Quebec within 72 hours of a yes vote. Unstable borders are acceptable it seems if it’s Mexicans ‘South of the Border’ as Frank Sinatra and Mel Tormé sang, the good folk from Mexico can be used as political tools for votes now days in this age of 24 hour news networks.

Immediately American government officials would begin to consider the merits of having the largest and deepest seaport on the North American seaboard under their own jurisdiction; the economic benefits to North America would be incredible many argue.

The 21st Century is all about having a secure North American perimeter which in turn many believe leads to greater economic opportunity for those within that Berlin wall mentality.

Almost overnight, Halifax for example would have very large sums of money poured into its non-existent military, and coast guard. The auto port being another area of “strategic importance” would expand quickly. Halifax, with its booming employment and economy by Canadian standards (Halifax presently has a very large civil service at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels); turns into turbocharged Ferrari of unprecedented central planning that would make Lenin smile as part of an American state.

The containership and cargo ship ports in Halifax would also see incredibly large cheques being written in the name of “national security” and “jobs”.

The offshore development could change quickly as well. The Americans, unlike John Buchanan’s “Progressive” Conservatives and his federal cousins found in the Liberal Party of Canada, favor development and expansion of the Scotian Shelf and its potential oil and gas supply. The same goes with offshore development in general throughout most of Atlantic Canada like the North Western Side of the Cape Breton Highlands. The regulatory burden in America can be easier sometimes since safe supply of energy is a far more important issue in America then Canada.

A complete and free flow of American dollars going from Washington to Halifax is witnessed just as the South Eastern states have enjoyed the fruits of Washington. Something which differentiates the South Eastern states, from the South Western states, is that many argue the South Western states have had a more natural form of economic growth with less interventionist policies and ideas from life long politicians.

Would Nova Scotia becoming an American state be bad for Nova Scotia? Well many American states offer “free” healthcare just like Canada, for those who choose not the private option, and prefer to wait 18 months to receive surgery, free American healthcare is just as good as free Canadian healthcare.

The currency issue would be resolved overnight, currency isn’t really a thing of identity, and currency is nothing more but a means to exchange goods, services, and products. An Acadian living in Cheticamp Nova Scotia for example, currently uses the same currency as an Asian living in British Columbia, neither person has anything in common or a similar background, yet both use the existing 80 cent Canadian dollar. So Nova Scotians would use the US Greenback without much fuss.

So the question is would American citizens want Nova Scotia becoming the 51st state? And, will Quebec leave once and for all forcing Canadians to deal with a reality many hadn’t anticipated?

Welcome

2006-01-08T11:34:00.000-04:00

Jaden Angelus, and Angelina Liberty. Oh and the old man himself. In the words of that classic Inxs album, the Desveaux's would like to say, Welcome To Wherever You Are!

Children and The Stones

2006-01-03T22:22:00.000-04:00

Is it really the job of Liam, or Jason or Murdoch to pay me money and or provide daycare to look after my children, simply because I chose to have children and they didn't? I'm not really sure how I feel about this election here in Canada except that all 3 parties seem to be running on the exact same message.

If anyone is really worried about Stephen Harper don't be, he has all but given in to the game of state expansionism for whatever reasons. Harper is harmless and in many ways better then Martin. At least with Harper he won't do anything criminal because of his character traits which makes him different from Mulroney Conservatives and Martin Liberals. In many ways, Harper is sort of like a John Hamm Conservative...Time to go out pull my Rolling Stones album collection on the vinyl format and cry.

Who will stand up for Liberty? She needs a hero!

The Police State and the Top 10

2006-01-02T22:31:00.001-04:00

This is sad and pathetic, but I don't think anyone should be shocked that "democratic" governments are spying on their own people and breaking their own laws in the process. This link which discusses the Conservative Police State is just another example of state expansionism...

Now the Top 10 for 2005, enjoy it baby! Here is the link

My Boy Hits the Slopes Running!

2006-01-02T22:20:00.000-04:00

My 3 year old son today was out on the slopes for the 1st time. It was amazing, he is a better skier then the old man was at his age...He didn't fall once, nor did he cross his skis once either. The chicks who were the ski instructors on the hill loved him, and asked for him to visit again...

Plan to post some photos of him and his dad in all of the ski gear in the next few days!

Ass Back To The United States

2006-01-02T21:39:00.000-04:00

With Canada's federal election underway, I found the following to be amusing since Canadian Liberals always preach that, "diversity includes us all", Liberal riding association and a senior campaign volunteer for incumbent MP (Member of Parliament)Bonnie Brown was forced to resign his party posts after telling a competitive shooter in an e-mail, to "take your NRA , GUN-LOVING ASS BACK TO THE U.S. WHERE YOU BELONG." Now does that really sound like someone who endorses diversity to you?

This link explains what is wrong with Canada, trapped in a paradise of cable television, free meals, golf courses, and horse back riding behind very minimum security fences sit 36,000 Canadian prison inmates who are eligible to cast ballots in the next Canadian federal election.

Criminals fear the Conservatives want to make life in prison, well, prison like...Would not want to remove large screeen televisions and surround sound stereos from the bad people now would we? They also believe the Conservatives want to strip them of their right to vote. So criminals in prison will not be voting Conservative...Surely there must be a tv election ad here somewhere, 'hi I murdered someone, and now I want the Liberals or New Democrats to win because I don't really like prison life, so please don't vote Conservative'

Now this is interesting as well, it allows people to see what Toronto Liberals think of Halifax. He opens a post with the following, "Paul Martin is not promising to have a military presence in Canada's major cities. Thank God"

Does Jason mean that Halifax is not a major Canadian city? Or does he mean that Paul Martin plans to further weaken Canada's Air Force base, Army Center, and Navy base in Halifax?

Sometimes I think that Ed also dislikes anything and anyone which does not agree with Ottawa.

Angelina Liberty Maureen Desveaux

2006-01-01T14:55:00.000-04:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, please turn down the Mel Torme and Frank Sinatra, please lift your glasses and let us say cheers to the next person of importance in either the arts, sports, and or business! Please welcome Angelina Liberty Maureen Desveaux!

Don't Loose Your Head

2006-01-01T11:02:00.000-04:00

This morning I woke up with a smile and gazed out my window for a minute, enjoying the view of many many trees. The house was a little cool, so I went out to gather some wood for the 2 woodstoves in my home. One stove is upstairs and the other is in the basement. As I stood outside next to the wood pile, I could not help but notice how loud the ocean was this morning. I sort of smiled again and took it all in, I really love Cow Bay Nova Scotia, its the next best thing to the Highlands of Cape Breton along the Cabot Trail. My new baby daughter is sleeping now through most of the night; only getting up once at night when we are asleep so it makes things easier now.

I put some Inxs on the Harmon Kardon CD player, and kept the NAD receiver down low so as not to wake up anyone. Nothing like the sweet sounds of Camber speakers early in the morning. Now as a long time Inxs fan, not sure how I feel about this new version of the band that the kids are listening to, my fav Michael Hutchence album is Elegantly Wasted, if you skip track 1 the rest of the album is rock fucking solid.

With 2006 here, this morning I made fresh blueberry pancakes, eggs, toast, and orange juice. Looking back on this past year, things have changed a lot.

I painted my old house one weekend for a kick and put a home made for sale sign in the window just to see what would happen. 48 hours later my house was sold. Moved down the road and bought a new house. Came home from work one day and my wife told me she was pregnant again, we thought it was a boy but the doctors messed up, now I have a sweet little girl. One morning I woke up and made the choice that I was leaving my job and I went out and got another one so that I could have more family time and focus on being a more happy relaxed fellow. All in all 2005 was exciting and great and 2006 should be better.

Well after listening to "Don't Loose Your Head" from Inxs's Elegantly Wasted album I have made the individual choice not to allow myself get hanged up on the negative and let the people who have made me loath them slide for 2006. Better to forgive and forget then let it eat away at your soul.

"Don't Loose Your Head"

You shot your mouth off like a kid
Who's scared to have a heart
Your loosing grip of what really matters
Cause you don't know where to start
You wake up in the morning
With a starfuck for a friend
The things you do are so in tune
With what you said you hate
What's giving you the will to live
Is it looking for revenge
The only laugh that you've got left
Is hiding from the pain
What must have happened to your soul
Is skinning you alive
The thing you fear most is love
And that's buried deep inside
So deep inside

Don't loose your head
Cause I can't do the time
Don't loose your head
Can you pay the price

The heart your building out of rock
Is turning into sand
Cause you never took the time to think
What it means to be a man
You act like you got the answer
When the question's never asked
I've been to where your coming from
But the postcards weren't so bad
The knife I carry has been sharpened
On the mouths that won't keep shut
I'll stab at you in the darkness
Cause I'm trying to shed some light
Your point of view is so meaningless
If you ever had one at all
All you seem to care about
Is who's gonna take the fall

Who's gonna take the fall for you

Don't loose your head
Now I can't do the time for you
Don't loose your head
Can you pay the price

Don't loose your head
Cause I can't do the time
Don't loose your head
Can you pay the price

Don't loose your head
If you can't do the time
Don't loose your head
Can you pay the price

Don't loose your head
You can't pay the price
Don't loose your head
You know I can't do the time

Happy New Year

2005-12-31T17:00:00.000-04:00

I would like to wish all of my readers as well the people who have published my work this year a happy and very wealthy New Year! Now go out and crank up the Mel Torme, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Perry Como and throw back a few cigars and single malt scotch! Cheers!

YES!

2005-12-29T22:56:00.000-04:00

We sleep this past night!! She only woke up once!

5 AM, 4 AM, 3 AM

2005-12-28T05:00:00.000-04:00

Well the 1st day home, my new baby daughter woke up at 5 AM to eat, and the 2nd day home she woke up at 4 AM, and then today, the 3rd day she woke up at 3 AM! Now if we can keep this pattern going, maybe within a week she will be getting up at 11 PM for a nightly feeding and sleeping through the rest of the night. Anyways, I'm off to work now for 3 days, and then I have another 3 days off. Looks like Liberty Lounge and poker night is shut down for a while fellas and ladies, the misses and I need some extra sleep.

My Daughter

2005-12-26T19:51:00.000-04:00

I would like to extend an official welcome to my daughter, Angelina Liberty Desveaux who has just entered this world. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Nova Scotians Wonder When Conservative Agenda Will Begin?

2005-12-20T23:13:00.000-04:00

The following column was just published in the Canadian Conservative Review, Volume 3, Number 4, Fall 2005. And once again my work was published ahead of Claire Hoy!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When governing politicians announce their retirement they usually can’t resist the urge to boast about their achievements while in office. Nova Scotia Premiere John Hamm is no exception.

Hamm, who recently announced he was stepping down, counted among his achievements the fiscal responsibility he brought to provincial government and the business friendly environment he fostered.

But did Hamm, a Progressive Conservative, really bring about either fiscal responsibility or a friendly environment for business? Was he truly a conservative leader? Unfortunately the answer is no.

True, under his government the provincial budgets got balanced, but Paul Martin balances budgets at the federal level all of the time, and so does the NDP Saskatchewan government. No one in their right mind would call Paul Martin or the NDP conservatives.

The real hallmark of a true conservative is spending. A true conservative seeks to cut back government spending and reduce the role of the state.

When Premier Hamm took over the reigns of power many of us thought that is exactly what he would do: reduce not only the size but also the role of the state.

Many of us believed that he would cut spending and lower the overall budget numbers. That, after all, is what fiscal responsibility is all about.

But Hamm turned out to be what might be called a Keynesian Conservative, which means he had a rabid propensity to spend whatever money he could get his hand on.

Oh, he would talk about cutting spending, but sometimes a cut is not really a cut. To understand what I mean by this you need to understand how mathematics works in politics.

Let’s take a hypothetical example.

Say the former Nova Scotia Liberal Premier Russell MacLellan promised to spend $400 one year, and follow up the next year with $700 of spending, that would represent a net spending increase of $300.

So far this is basic mathematics. But here’s the political twist.

Let’s say John Hamm comes into office and promises to increase spending to $600 the following year from the original Liberal number of $700, we would end up with a net spending increase of $200, right?
Wrong.

Under political math Hamm and his followers would claim that spending has actually been cut because their spending hike is lower then the Liberal’s.

Of course, in both cases the Liberal and Progressive Conservative numbers represent a net spending increase.

That’s what happened under Hamm. Despite all his boasts about “fiscal responsibility” there never were any spending cuts. The total government expenditures actually rose every year that Hamm was in a position of authority to do something about it and he chose to do nothing.

Then there’s his talk about improving the business environment in the province.

This from a man who placed new consumption taxes on the cost of fuel in Nova Scotia, who openly discussed regulating automotive fuel prices, who talked about shutting business down on Sunday, who considered “fat” taxes, and who passed special race based legislation for First Nations and Black Nova Scotians.

To top it all off, he increased income taxes.

Now you be the judge, did Hamm truly follow through on a Conservative agenda?

Yes, I do understand that Hamm was what some might call, ‘the best of the worst possible choices’, but the fact remains that when in government you have 5 solid years to roll back the state, Hamm chose not to do so. He could have gone out swinging; instead he goes out not with a bang, but a whimper.

Of course, now that Hamm is stepping down, many Nova Scotians are wondering if they will finally be offered a pro free-market alternative to Keynsian Conservatism and to tax and spend Liberalism.

We can only hope so.

Then again, even Albertans understand these hard learned lessons that Nova Scotians have gone through. If King Klein of Edmonton can crank up spending levels to unheard of numbers and still be considered a conservative, what does that say for the conservative movement in general?

Hansard

2005-12-20T20:53:00.000-04:00

Well this was just brought to my attention by a young fan; it seems I am now officialy part of the state. The official federal Hansard in Ottawa on Parliament Hill has me and a few friends listed in it. Too bad they spell my name wrong...

Also, yes, it is true that my buddy Delanoy was the guy who started the Principled Altenative at the same time back in the motherland (Alberta)

"Mr. Cliff Breitkreuz (Yellowhead, Ref.): Mr. Speaker, the united alternative conference was a smashing success and if we want proof, look at all the howling yesterday from worried Ontario Liberal MPs.

Fifteen hundred delegates from every province have risen up and returned to their ridings to begin the work of saving our country from big government and judicial activism.

Unfortunately every noble revolution has its martyrs. Paul Barnes, the president of Nova Scotia's PC youth, has been expelled from the PC party because he chose to come to the UA with an open mind.

Two other bright young Atlantic Canadians, Kevin Lacey and Clinton Deveaux, have felt the heat too. Barnes, Lacey and Deveaux were among 300 young people from coast to coast attending the conference."

The Clubs

2005-12-20T07:30:00.000-04:00

Big changes in the next few days, who wants to go to the clubs, smoke cigars, and dance the floor away?

Sport Bikes Anyone

2005-12-14T22:28:00.000-04:00

Yes I know, not only do I like snowmobiles, and atv's, something which most lefty's hate, but I also love the beast of speed! Still has its first set of cams, the prime and secondary carbs have been tuned, the exhaust is a Hindle, and it has the performance air filter. Live free or die! I'm told I give a good ride...

Mel Tormé: Comin' Home Baby

2005-12-11T15:43:00.000-04:00

The 1960’s represented a very interesting time for musicians of all genres; three particular reasons began a trend for future generations of musical artists. The Beach Boys, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones were the 3 reasons which permanently altered the musical landscape and basically made it impossible for stars of the past to remain economically viable in the present. The only 2 exceptions to the rule of course were Mel Tormé and Frank Sinatra.

Tormé’s classic album, Comin’ Home Baby has recently been re-released; digitally remastered and cleaned up, one can hear the sweet sounds of the Velvet Fog in all of its glory the way it was intended to be heard.

In early 1962 Mel Tormé had firmly come to terms with the fact that the musical landscape was percolating something in the clubs and bars where the people hang out. This new musical dynamo was going to act like a brick wall, on not only himself, but basically anyone from his background and genre unless change happened.

Mel walked into the studio in 1962 determined to stay relevant and absorb the new and combine it to his big band swinging style. Frank Sinatra decided to do much the same thing in the 1960’s. Comin’ Home Baby was the 1st of 5 albums that Mel recorded and released in the 1960’s that attempted to meld Rock ‘n’ Roll with Jazz & Big Band.

It was very much worth the work and effort; although many jazz purists dismiss this era of Mel Tormé’s with a angry waive of a modern day puritan hand, why, I’m not sure to be honest. Being trapped in cage of the past is something that many jazz listeners are known for. The self titled lead off single, “Comin’ Home Baby”, from this album made the top 10 in the charts and acted as beacon call for jazz and big band fans that jazz still had a place in the charts only it needed to evolve into rock ‘n’ roll to remain relevant.

The highlight from the album is, “Lady’s In Love With You”, which showcases the most powerful Mel Tormé phrasing and vocal I have ever hard. The classic Tormé tracks, “Puttin’ On The Ritz” and “Hi Fi” have a very similar vocal and phrasing technique as Lady.

“Sing You Sinners” highlights the toe tapping phrase rapping Mel Tormé that so many of us have loved over the years. The Dean Martin classic tune, “You Belong To Me”, has a gentle re-working which fits into the set as well.

The album also has that rock and jazz tune, “Right Now” which was the B-Side to “Comin’ Home Baby” that shows Mel Tormé stretching the jazz genre into rock ‘n’ roll.

Go out and buy this album, it has aged very well, and deserves a solid 5 out of 5 stars.

Income Trusts

2005-12-10T17:39:00.000-04:00

Has Paul Martin been a naughty boy this Christmas? Santa checks his list to find out who has been naughty and who has been nice.

Oh by the way, enjoy this link

Every Man Is An Island

2005-12-09T23:48:00.000-04:00

Well this was written a number of months ago, a fan of mine named K, loved the concept so much she wanted me to post it again. Cheers!

Many women often wonder what is required to understanding the unlocking of a man’s inner thoughts and drive. Well for you women looking to understand men, I’m the key for that lock of frustration.

Bon Jovi sang, “No man is an island”, bollocks! Few people understand what this means in the 21st century. You see, with ultra high speed Internet, satellite radio/television and kitchen countertop latte machines it is inexcusable why every man isn’t an island.

Heck things have progressed so well in the late 20the century that every man can even call up the local grocer, and request to have ones food delivered for the Maytag at the foot of your wharf to further minimize contact with outsiders.

Even within this paradise of individualism, the seeds of forced civilization can be planted. You see every man is told from the time that they are a young toddler that one requires companionship to lead a healthy life. At this very moment, when a man decides to leave his island and make the journey to the mainland, strange things happen.

When a woman enters a man’s life, the act of occupation begins in a subtle yet polite manner. Eventually one culture is displaced, and then replaced completely by another; modern day colonialism, designed to enlighten and make us better men.

One morning the reading material at the breakfast table is altered, this is the first sign of eye brow raising change; the July issue of Scandinavian supermodels is replaced by People magazine or Vogue. This magazine change being something which goes under the radar screen of most men at first.

The peaceful and calming sports of heavyweight boxing and Formula 1 racing are replaced on television with figure skating and Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

The changes are aimed of course so that the woman in your life can show off her metro boyfriend to all of her female friends and brag how civilized your relationship is.

Waking up in the morning the odd time the alarm clock was ever used consisted of the local Def Leppard/Led Zeppelin station. One strange morning you are woken up to the unfamiliar sounds of the local Jennifer Lopez station.

Your desk, which usually consists of an absolute organized mess that only a man could ever understand, has been replaced. Replaced by what you ask? Well some strange and orderly peace of furniture now sits where your desk sat with multi colored pink and purple pens. You never know out of sheer boredom when the urge to doodle a pink and purple rainbow may strike.

The annual trip to Las Vegas or Atlantic City, where the action at the tables runs hot and the parties late at night run hotter is suddenly replaced with more family related pass times. The change in vacation spots is another hint at changes to come.

Every heterosexual male has always wanted a full size Hummer H1 with Frank Sinatra or Mel Tormé cranked up through the Cerwin Vega’s. Well the plan of buying a Hummer is ridiculed because apparently it’s “bad for the kids” and discussion is always reverted back to fuel mileage (oh I’m Canadian; I should have said fuel kiloage). Besides, music like Def Leppard and Led Zeppelin is replaced by angry lesbian music such as Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette.

The peace de resistance however, one day after a hard and miserable time at work, you come home and find strawberry and vanilla scented candles lit all over your home instead of the 200 watt light bulbs found throughout your island in the past.

You see every man is an island, the problem of course, men figure out the island rule when it’s too late. They discover that the island of sanity is gone, some relic of a past life which will be surely repeated and lost again by some future generation of men younger then you.

So women you have nothing to fear, you don’t need to understand men, you can simply continue shaping us the way you think we should be…

I'm Going To Vote...

2005-12-07T23:13:00.000-04:00

Well, it sickens me and angers me, but I'm going to vote and reverse myself because of an e-mail I just received. Paul Martin is going to announce something tomorrow morning which is going to push me into the Stephen Harper camp. I love my family too much to allow Paul Martin to follow through on what I think he is going to do.

My home was broken into on 2 different occasions, once while my family was sleeping. I live in reality, where criminals can be very bad people and do very bad things; I don't live in some Utopia, no matter how much I wish it so. If I have to choose between my family and the criminal, I choose my family every time.

Thank goodness on that night, we had firearms in the house, I shutter to think what would have happened otherwise.

The Big Guy

2005-12-01T00:21:00.000-04:00

Well one thing I can say for sure, the big guy (and I ain't talking about Santa either) is one cool dresser and his dad isn't bad either!

The guy is so cool in fact he even knows every word to the classic Mel Torme track, "Molly Marlene", he even sang it to a few of the chicks at the kids Christmas party over at my work. Tell you something else, one proud dad indeed!

DON'T VOTE

2005-11-28T22:33:00.000-04:00

Let us make this short and sweet, so all 3 major parties are running on the message of state expansionism, only the debate revolves around how much expansionism is appropriate. Since no one is actually running on the message of reducing state spending from present levels, it seems obvious to all that there is no alternative to expansionism. So, Don't Vote, It's a Sham!

Now on a more serious note. Let us play a serious game shall we? Whichever party wins, state spending will increase next year from this year, so why don't we all pick a number and the person who chooses the number which is near the actual amount of increased spending, wins a dinner or something?

Build It, And It Will Happen!

2005-11-27T06:30:00.000-04:00

There was a young innocent girl who had dreams of making the world a better place, though many might consider her naïve, she and many her like her, should be commended for wanting to make the world a better place I guess. The thing is, like so many other young people, she refuses to step out of the box of political correctness. These people become adults, and the reality of making a living never really sets in, ‘profit motive’ are some sort of bad words to people; many wishing it erased from the dictionary and English language in favor of some non-existent Utopia found in the lyrics of Bono.

I work in the chemical industry, the oil, gas, and propane sector to be precise. Many people wonder about the market price of oil, gas, propane and so on. Back home, in the highlands of Cape Breton, along the Cabot Trail where the mountains soar, and Gulf of St Lawrence glistens, it has become basically impossible for the small local town independent gas station to make an honest living. Some people have begun to wonder: What is necessary to bring back a vital segment of the local economy, the small town gas station? The local gas station is quickly becoming a ghost of the past from a distant time much like the music of Mel Tormé and Frank Sinatra.

Here is a little secret which is very seldom discussed by statists of whatever political stripe, because they have all been guilty in assaulting the energy industry; it makes for cheap and easy political points which wins votes at the end of the day I guess.

In Nova Scotia for example, if you operate a local gas station, you have to purchase your gas from a refinery, after all energy doesn’t magically appear in your gas tank or home on its own now does it?

The catch is, if you want to buy energy to put in your pumps or tanks it comes from one place in Atlantic Canada basically, the Imperial Oil Refinery, which is Irving. So why would Irving want to make it any easier for small local fuel guys to compete against them? Irving puts the squeeze on at the refining level and charges very high prices and rightly so because of limited world commodity supply at the refining level, and also insists on large bulk purchases and rightly so because of limited world commodity supply at the refining level. So the little fuel station guy in Canning for example down in the Valley can’t make any money because he has an anchor around his neck. The only way to bring about more competitive energy prices is to increase competition at the refining level. But a number of problems prevent this, and most likely always will prevent it, thereby increasing the number of local gas stations deciding to shut down permanently and altering the landscape of small town culture.

With the NDP, Liberals, and Progressive Conservatives bragging about Acid Rain Treaty’s, Rio Environmental Summits, and Kyoto Accords not a single refinery has been built in North America now for 25 years. Even though our population has increased steadily, and our manufacturing segments of the economy has increased steadily. The political climate is so bad that if a big bad company said they wanted to build a refinery you would immediately hear people like the NDP for example, calling for the government to step in and halt any discussion of building another refinery in Atlantic Canada because it might hurt the trees. That is why someone like Dexter, head of the NS NDP doesn’t have a long term plan for energy, even though he likes to pretend he does whenever a microphone is around…

The Liberals and Progressive Conservatives are no different either, they would insist on having hearings. The hearings can be very costly for someone who is attempting to break into the industry at the refinery level. It requires large sums of money with no promise of ever actually seeing anything happen in the long run.

Things are so bad in fact that we even refine around 20 percent of our total oil and gas abroad in foreign nations. It has become impossible basically for a new player to step into the refinery market in Atlantic Canada let alone North America and work the magic powers of the free-market which would normally drive down prices and increase supply. So what has this stupid ass policy of no new refineries done? It has created an almost monopolistic market in Atlantic Canada for Irving where people are freezing in the winter and single moms can’t afford to put gas in their cars, its okay though, because at least we have Kyoto…Kyoto will warm grandmas house when its -30 in the cold Canadian winter I guess…

So if people are serious about being angry over high fuel prices and local gas stations shutting down in the hinterland, then let’s actually do something for a change. This stupid talk of regulating energy prices is basically a front which does nothing in the long run and it allows politicians to ignore the refinery issue because Indian rain dance legislation like Kyoto is what the young Turks are discussing at the local cafes on Spring Garden and Quinpool.

The tax issue is another one which is so sick it’s almost obscene; the price per liter at the pump right now is around 50 cents which is cheaper then water, milk, or juice. When you fill your car, the government courtesy of Conservative and NDP policy tacks on another 50 cents thereby doubling the price of fuel at the cash register. What a joke!

They insist on fuel prices being doubled over natural free-market conditions by taxes and then blame the fuel company. Limited world supply at the refining level has caused prices to increase at the pump because we are not allowed to build another refinery so simple free market economics kick in and they blame the energy company.

We have far too much dependence on that canker sore region which pretends to be human, the Middle East. Whenever anyone discusses offshore development here in Atlantic Canada or British Columbia, the knives come out. Anyone who doubts this just look into the hatchet job that local radio talk jocks, one issue malcontent groups, politicians have done to Corridor Resources in Cape Breton as just one example. These people are so consumed with preventing energy supply from coming on board that they are prepared to ignore the number of jobs and wealth which could come into the North Western side of the Highlands and help bring down that double digit unemployment for the months of January all because of their Kyoto way of thinking. So yes keep calling for more and more blocks to happen to development in the Arctic, Atlantic Canadian & British Columbia offshore; all you have managed to do is keep unemployment numbers higher then natural free-market conditions and drive prices higher and higher for energy…

The possibility of additional Nuclear supply is something I really want to see happen and drive down energy prices as well because it introduces another player into the competition mix but we all know the environmental types will never allow us to build newer and more modern Nuclear plants.

Now yes, I now that all of the anti-corporate types will say things like we need to reduce our dependence on energy but at the end of the day tell that to the family like mine with kids, we need large vehicles because we need to carry the hockey gear around, the ski equipment around. We need to lug lots of groceries into the house from the car because the kids eat lots of food so large cars make sense. Tell that to the retired couple who just wants to heat their home, Utopia is not going to heat the hardwood floors. Tell that to the young couple who just wants to purchase a 32 inch flat screen television and needs a large vehicle to get it from the store to their home. Tell that to Canning or Cheticamp who have lost another gas station. Energy consumption is a good thing, build a refinery and it will happen. So let us build it now, and it will happen!

Nazism = Nationalized Socialism

2005-11-23T19:59:00.000-04:00

Someone asked me the other day at a local record shop which actually sells vinyl LP’s, while I was doing my monthly search of Mel Tormé albums, ‘how can you be so dedicated to free-markets when socialism is so much more compassionate?”

This little discussion stemmed from a previous post called FREEDOM and HUMAN RIGHTS that the store owner enjoyed reading.

The dark little secret that so few statists publicly discuss is that the word and movement of Nazism was in fact short form for Nationalized Socialism. It derived directly from the belief that intervention into the free-markets is good, and those who have succeeded in free-market must be bad.

World famous historian and economist Ludwig von Mises was hunted down, and chased out of Nazi Austria at gun point for his ideas of free-markets, private property, and a Gold Standard money supply. So it is somewhat amusing to hear interventionist statists’ right here in Nova Scotia for example, call Mises a dangerous cult leader…

When one examines the end result of capitalism, one finds not America, which pretends to be the land of the free with the exception of perhaps New Hampshire, but rather Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, or South Korea. When one examines the end result of Socialism, one finds Nazi Germany or the world first environmentalist who also espoused state control, Pol Pot’s Cambodia.

Now if given a choice between Castro’s Cuba or Hong Kong pre-Red China rule, which would you choose?

So if one espouses 100% sovereign individual private property ownership rights and free markets (something which social conservatives are unable to do) which is in fact the polar opposite of Nazism how could one equate individualism or libertarianism with being “right wing” which is codes words for being Nazism when in fact Nazism was interventionism which is in fact left wing?

FREEDOM and HUMAN RIGHTS

2005-11-14T22:47:00.000-04:00

Basic fundamental natural human rights which are in fact associated with freedom must never be left to the whims of the masses or majority rule. Otherwise we as sovereign individuals risk emulating the very horrors which attracted so many immigrants and refugees from other lands to our country in the first place.

Which freedoms are rational, logical, and reasoned, and in what order would you rank them?

(1) Sovereign individual private property ownership rights is the basic human right associated with freedom. If one isn’t safe from theft and coercion in ones home or business then just what is the point in living? The right to decide who you would invite in your private property and at what time is no one else’s business, and furthermore who you would throw out of your property and at what time is no one else’s business. For some strange reason, too many statists intentionally skew private property into public property. The police station or government owned road is public property for example, Liberty Lounge which I built with my own hands and without public funds is private property, my home is another example of private property. The scary thing is, too many people think they have a right to step on your private property and tell you how you are going to live your life on your property. When you have family who lived in a region which didn’t respect private property such as Mao’s Red China or Laos for example you quickly understand how fundamental private property really is.

(2) As the ancient native populations learned the hard way, the basic right of being able to protect oneself from theft and coercion is a building block in finding happiness. Human nature dictates that when governments become all encompassing or simply stronger then an opponent, the individual is always crushed in favor of “the needs of the many”. These Pol Potisms such as, “the needs of the many” which are routinely found in everything from Star Wars to local talk radio hosts to Rocket Robin Hood are quite scary indeed. I remember when my wife from South East Asia first heard these Pol Potisms uttered in Canada, “the needs of the many outweigh the individual”, she actually looked very spooked, but then again she lived through the Communist scourge in South East Asia. My father in-law was sort of surprised one time as well when at a dinner party one of the guests spoke about similar Pol Potisms, seeing as my father in-law lived through Mao’s Little Red Book indoctrination classes on the mainland when it was at its peak, he too hates these Canadian born citizens who brag about, “the needs of the many outweigh the individual”, oh the lessons he could give to statists of all stripes…

My home was broken into on 2 different occasions, once while I was actually sleeping in my bed, suffice to say, my family is very thankful that we had firearms at our disposal otherwise I shutter to think what may have happened. Ever since that happened, the “democratic” regulations, legislations, and laws have only become more onerous so that the individual is basically incapable of protecting oneself or ones property, if one actually goes through the trouble of following “the law”. What I have discovered is that Canada doesn’t have a justice system, but a legal system and that in fact has become a major part of the problem.

Whenever I hear some nut discussing Pol Potisms such as, “if only government got rid of guns for everyone”, or “the needs of the many outweigh the individual”, I always think if that criminal in my home while I was sleeping would have followed the “no firearms law”?

So it is in fact a reasoned, rational, and logical position to take that the right to bear arms is in fact a fundamental human right associated with freedom. If one is not able to defend oneself from theft and coercion, how free can one be? I’m sure the ancient native populations would have liked owning firearms as well, but alas they too learned these lessons the hard way, much like my family who is from South East Asia.

(3) Sovereign individual privacy rights are another basic block of human rights which are associated with freedom. Nothing I hate more then having some 70 year old state goon being a bully so that you will give them your personal information for the state census or something other . If one isn’t able to make love to “tall, and tan, and young and lovely girl from Ipanema” as Frank Sinatra so famously sang without the pro-military war types watching you on the info red loaded sensors on the helicopters, what the hell is the point in living? People should be free to opt out of the tribe if they so wish, we were not born indentured like a link in a chain of statism now were we? Privacy is so important in this day and age of Atlas Shrugged and 1984, things just keep getting worse it seem, almost like Chinese water torture enforced by statists of all stripes.

(4) Freedom of Speech/freedom of the press is a biggie, no doubt about it, however freedom of the press should be clarified. The press should be free of state coercion; unlike what most economic interventionist statists call for. If I own the National Post, the staff of the National Post should be expected to tow my line. We don’t want governments telling the press what to publish. What we have witnessed in Canada, and America, the so-called land of the free the last few years, is the jailing of reporters. Jailing reporters is what they did in South East Asia or what they do right now in Cuba. Liberals and Republicans should be ashamed of themselves quite frankly and so should anyone else who supports the ideas of Castro…

Well those are my top 4 for now, I’ll add to this later at some point, cheers baby! And don't forget to light a cigar, crank up the Mel Torme and enjoy life!

Christmas Songs

2005-11-13T20:09:00.000-04:00

Well it’s that time of the year again when people are looking for Christmas music. So I have a few choice selections for all to enjoy.

The film “Home Alone” had an excellent soundtrack which included a fabulous version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” sung by Mel Tormé; the Tormé track is so great that I bought the movie soundtrack for that reason alone.

Home Alone at this link has all of the details.

Also don't forget to check out Mel Tormé’s “Christmas Songs”!

The Keith Lockhart orchastra records 16 tracks clocking in at 60 minutes and 31 seconds of pure holiday emotion with Mel Torme up at the microphone. The whole album is sang in the manner that only Mel Tormé could have perfected. Every one of my friends who listens to this album immediately falls in love with it, and buys their own copy.

Mel after all is the guy who wrote The Christmas song, ‘Chestnuts roasting on an open fire’ some 60 years ago sitting in the scorching heat of his summer home in the middle of a hot one!

“Glow Worm” is a children’s delight, while his version of “What Child Is This” will have you dreaming of a midnight mass somewhere in the cold snowy Highlands of the Cabot Trail.

The album cover is dripping with cool and Tormé looks like he knows he really is the symbol of the great American songbook.

The great Ray Anthony and his orchestra, famous trumpeter who globe trots on a constant basis, always in demand by various jazz and big band singers. Ray was one of the famous members of Hugh Hefner’s Friday night movie night at the Playboy mansion. Ray recorded an amazing holiday album called, ‘Dream Dancing Christmas’. Of course as most people know, Mel Tormé was sort of the leader, or weekly star attraction of the Playboy mansion movie night. A fantastic version of My Christmas Dream can be found, of course as some of you may already know, Mel and Ray also wrote “My Christmas Dream” back in 1995. The track has quickly become a staple of Christmas music found on most golden oldie stations during the months of November and December every year since. Ray also records with Mel on vocals a comforting “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”; it just sends shivers down the spine every time. The album can be found here.

Mel's album, 'That's All' also includes another Christmas classic he wrote called, "One Little Snowflake", plus an astounding cover of "Ev'ry day's a Holiday".

Enjoy the Holiday season folks, it only comes around once a year!

I almost forgot another classic as well, the 'The Complete Concord Recordings' of Mel Torme has a very good version of "Away In A Manger" on Disc 2 track 8! See ya guys

Air Canada SUCKS! Fly WestJet

2005-11-11T16:02:00.000-04:00

There we are, standing in the airport, and we are informed that none of the luggage from the Ottawa or Toronto flight arrived. We walk over to the Air Canada booth for lost luggage which should have been a hint that Air Canada sucks. My family looks at me and says, "from now on, we only fly WestJet", at which point, I said, "See, I Told You So!"

Can someone please tell me why so many statist think government funds should be used as a form of corporate welfare aimed at Air Canada? Let them swim or sink as dad always said.

The best part is, we ask the fella behind the counter if the luggage will be arriving. He says yes. We say great. When, he says in the next 24 to 48 hours, we ask him, will you put the luggage aside as soon as it arrives. He says, no, we put it out on the moving belt system. If no one picks it up before we close for the night, we then go and collect it. I look at him and say, you can't be serious? He says, yes why? I say to him, what happens if someone steals it while its on the belt system, he looks at me and says: "Listen, I don't know where you are from, but we don't steal in Nova Scotia"...You gotta love that smug Nova Scotia attitude.

To top it off, this guy dressed in a really expensive pin stripe goes off, and he says that this is the 3rd time in one year that this has happened to him. He swears to never get sucked into Air Canada again, and vows to only fly WestJet which sort of made me smile.

Women and the Purse

2005-11-11T15:48:00.000-04:00

It seems the Louis Vuitton handbags is the way to most women's hearts. My wife just received her Louis Vuitton handbag and purse and she just couldn't stop smiling when she opened the box. She has been talking about these bags non stop now for 6 months; determined that someone was going to buy her some and her wish has been granted. The weird part is that today while eating dinner, I was hit on by some broad working as a waitress, she talked to me about the Louis Vuitton handbag when my wife left to use the ladies room. She told me that I was "a good man", wow I thought, all of these years and all it took was a bloody handbag, amazing really! Now why is it that none of the fellas at Liberty Lounge would react this way if I mentioned my Esquire watch? In case anyone is wondering this isn't her handbag, just some photo from the net.

Jail The Businessman?

2005-11-09T06:45:00.000-04:00

The good news is, soon John Hamm will no longer be Premier of Nova Scotia, the bad news, another Progressive Conservative will be Premier of Nova Scotia...

Well yesterday, after a hard day of promoting the oil and gas industry, driving home in my car with 95.7 News FM cranked up in between Frank Sinatra and Mel Torme. I heard an interesting story which caught my attention.

All declared candidates in the Nova Scotia Tory race will not make it legal for a businessman to put an 'open' sign in the window; yes Tories are friends of business and the free-market indeed...

So to all of my friends working to have a certain candidate elected, remember that he has publicly stated for all intents and purposes that the businessman should be jailed and arrested for opening on a Sunday. If one is unable to support the most basic freedom associated with human rights such as sovereign individual private property ownership rights, then one must really question the intelligence of so-called "conservatives". As I have said before, social conservatives are no friends of free markets. Long live private property and liberty!

Making Love To Music

2005-11-04T21:02:00.000-04:00

Looking for great music to make love to? I highly recommend the following 8 songs and just throw them in the CD player and hit "repeat all" and just let the night drag on nice and slow...

In Moncton today, purchased Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim's first self titled debut album, it was released in 1967. As you recall in 1965 Mel Tormé had also recorded a number of Latin Bossa Nova songs.

I’ll review Frank’s album later this week in the meantime back to the point.

Frank Sinatra’s “The Girl From Ipanema”, “Change Partners”, “I Concentrate On You”, “Baubles, Bangles And Beads”, take these 4 songs and mix your own album with the following 4 Mel Tormé tracks: “Lima Lady”, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, “Ho-Ba-La-La”, and “Bossa Nova Potpourri”. Do as I say, and enjoy the night or day…

Give It To Them

2005-11-03T23:31:00.000-04:00

Problem is, people expect Mises and Hayek talk from Conservatives. He should give it to them, convince them that socialism is a failure, go down fighting if you must but fight, are you listening Stephen?

Canadians aren't anti-free-market, They're anti-social conservative.

Books To Give Away

2005-11-03T17:06:00.000-04:00

Well since selling the old home, and moving in the new one, I felt it was time to go through the library and unload some hard covers in an attempt to free up some space for newer and more important materials that I have been acquiring the last few years.

I have emptied myself of all traditional statist books from left leaning conservative types, this is what is left.

All of this stuff has been left behind at intellectual level for me many years ago, so I figured why not offer it for free if anyone wants it. Some of the stuff I have gotten rid of has made for interesting gifts the last few days.

- Gorbachev: The Making of The Man Who Shook The World
- Sir Wilfred Laurier
- Preston Manning: The New Canada
- Ronald Reagan: An American Life
- Preston Manning: Waiting For The Wave
- David Frum: What’s Right, The New Conservatism and What It Means For Canada
- Diane Francis: Fighting For Canada
- Claire Hoy: Friends In High Places, The Mulroney Years
- The Rape of Kuwait, The True Stories of Iraqi Atrocities Against a Civilian Population
- The Partition Principle: Remapping Canada and Quebec After Separation
- Maritime Rights: The Maritime Rights Movement, 1917 – 1927
- Rush Limbaugh: See I Told You
- Gadaffi: The Desert Mystic
- Rene Levesque: My Quebec
- Bill Gates: The Road Ahead
- A Canadian Myth: Quebec, Between Canada and the Illusion of Utopia by William Johnson

Just send me an E-Mail if you want it, if you look over at the right side of the screen you will see something along the lines of my Complete Profile. Just click there and send me an E-Mail. Remember they are all HARDCOVERS!

Ciao Baby!

What is the Conservative Party of Canada’s Position on Gun Control?

2005-11-02T23:50:00.000-04:00

Let me begin this column acknowledging that yes prior to the last general federal election I wrote extensively and passionately in support of the Conservative Party of Canada.

At that time, I truly believed that with Stephen Harper at the helm, that perhaps just once in Canada’s most boring history of statism that we would at last be provided a legitimate alternative to the ever boring game of state expansionism.

I was provided an advance copy of the Conservative election platform which was called, “Demanding Better” back in 2004.

Now unlike most people, I actually knew Stephen Harper from a personal perspective, back when he was the President of the National Citizens Coalition. That was the Harper with one of the most exciting vinyl collections in Canada. Oh the stories I could tell about his LP collection. That was a Harper who could quote Beatle and Rolling Stone lyrics as if he wrote them himself. That was the Harper who could quote and defend the ideas of Ludwig von Mises and Stephen’s personal hero and student of Mises, Fredrick von Hayek.

When the advance copy of the election platform was provided to me, I immediately skipped to the section of gun control. After all any legitimate Conservative endorses the right to bear arms as it stems from the notion of private property ownership rights which are another basic human right associated with freedom.

At first, I was excited, the election platform read, “A Conservative Government will repeal Canada’s costly gun registry legislation.” It was amazing for the 1st time in Conservative party politics, Canada had a party which was going to do the opposite of the former Progressive Conservative Party of creating the hand gun registry (Bill C-58) back in the 1930’s, and gun control (Bill C-17) back in 1990. I smiled, I truly smiled, at last Stephen had followed through on those ideas which so many of us held dear. We had found a fellow traveler on the road to liberty. Someone to act as a beacon in the cold foggy haze of statism, shining down on the village to warm us all.

Then something strange happened, the excitement began to drain out of me, as I continued to read, I stumbled upon the following:

“Will work with the provinces on cost effective gun control programs”, I immediately began to talk out loud as my wife looked on in puzzlement, ‘why would we want to work with the provinces in creating cost effective gun control?’

If one believes in the inherent right to bear arms as a basic building block for living in a freedom based society which respects human rights, why on earth would we want “cost effective gun control”? I mean, sure, the Liberal registry was a total blow out of taxes, but then again all gun control is a total blow out of taxes…

Then my heart really began to sink all the way down to my toes. You see, there was a time, a long long while ago where I was a mover and shaker as they say, in helping to organize and eventually build what I thought would be a liberty based party or at least grounded in some basic ideas of freedom. I understand that advocating purity isn’t tolerated, in fact in some cases it’s treated with outright disdain. We had this thing that we called the United Alternative. A place where like minded individuals met, smoked cigars and drank scotch, we planned, and we worked to spread the gospel as they say.

An old friend of mine named Ian Berg from Saskatchewan was in fact MP Gary Breitkreuz’s nephew, or family member as I recall sometime back in the days of the old Reform Party. Gary can quote Ayn Rand as if she was his sister. Gary was the Reform stalwart when it came to the right to bear arms. He still is in fact with the Conservative party. Now I know when asked these questions about, “Will work with the provinces on cost effective gun control programs” Gary gets very ill, as if someone has just punched him in the stomach or something. He personally would never support such nonsense, yet for some strange reason it made its way into the election platform.

Gary would say things like, ‘ya but its designed to keep guns out of the hands of criminals’ at which point if you asked Gary, ‘well Gary, who are the criminals, and how are we going to prevent them from owning firearms?’ He would sort of look at you and say, ‘good question’…

And Gary would also say things like, ‘respecting the rights of law-abiding Canadians to own and use firearms responsibly is our goal guys.’ And whenever any of us asked him, ‘What is responsibly?’ or ‘Can we use them to defend our family or private property from criminals and thieves?’ At which point old MP Myron Thompson or Gary would sort of look around the room and say ‘we can’t really go down that path now guys’ and they sort of look around the room for some reason.

The part of platform that really upset me however was the following jewel:

“Crackdown on the smuggling; safe storage provisions; firearms safety training; a certification screening system for all those wishing to acquire firearms legally”

Now surely most gun owners will be the first to tell you that it has become almost impossible to purchase a hand gun through legal means in this country, which is one of many reasons why the smuggling issue exists. The entire safe storage issues is another, if you are home sleeping and some criminal walks in your home and rapes your wife and daughter and you have your firearms legally stored as per legal requirements and the bullets stored the same way, the chances of you being able to protect and defend your family is nil. The last thing gun owners need is a state enforced Conservative “crackdown” as Conservatives are calling for on the safe storage issue.

To top it all off, the Conservative platform calls for the “certification screening system for all those wishing to acquire firearms legally”, which is really code words for FAC, which is also really code words for gun control.

The other issue I began to pick up on when watching the news during the last federal election was that many conservative stars from Mackay to Harper to Belinda and so on would speak about guns in strange terms; whenever the issue of gun control came up, it was immediately turned into some sort of strange debate around a “long gun registry” instead of defending the right to bear arms to protect ones family and property.

The right to bear arms is a natural right, one which stems from living in a freedom based society which respects and values individual sovereign human rights and liberties. So yes, I know that most conservative activists within the party find my sniping annoying, but to be honest I was just as fierce with the Liberals before and during the last federal election. However I can no longer find myself trusting or wanting a conservative party in power which in some respects is to the left of the American Democrats; and is willing to scrap the current Liberal mess that has become a long gun registry and replace it with another mess…

Raise The Age to 21?

2005-11-02T12:36:00.000-04:00

Since everyone feels I'm wrong on the atv, dirt bike, snowmobile, and personal watercraft issue, I must be wrong...The overwhelming majority of E-Mail received called me a "nut" and an "asshole" and a "real jerk".

So now I would like to say that I agree with everyone, and I would like to have the age limit for driving road vehicles increased to 21. All cars, trucks, and vans should be raised to 21 for the legal age for anyone to drive; because we can prove using "government stats" that raising the number will work. We must do this for the kids, all freedom and parent control should be stripped away from mom and dad in the name of the kids...And be placed in the hands of politicans...

Think of all the people who would be alive today if only we had raised the age of driving road vehicles to 21.

Thank you to one of my readers for calling on the age to be raised to 21, your wish has been granted

Beer Lao

2005-11-01T21:56:00.000-04:00

It's Tuesday night, guess what most people are doing?
Many people claim this stuff is the best around
Anyone who gets a chance, try it, you just might like it! Long Live Beer Lao, Lao Beer!

The God Complex: Who Will Save You From The Doctors?

2005-10-29T20:42:00.000-03:00

The Nova Scotia provincial Progressive Conservative party much like that of say the Newfoundland Progressive Conservative party, is about to introduce a ban of young people riding ATV’s.

The part that really annoys me however, besides of course the idea that it is another “conservative” party which is once again going to attack another liberty and freedom; the part that has given me a rancid feeling is the God complex, who will save us from the doctors?

Once again we have supposedly “mainstream” media calling on government to act upon the advice of the medical community. And I say supposedly mainstream because there really is nothing about the Chronicle Herald which is mainstream, except of course that it is a mouth piece rag for the medical community in this country.

The piece de resistance however, “it’s time Nova Scotians and their government listened to pediatric experts”, so says the herald. Since when did we as individuals become indentured to the state funded medical community? And since when did the Chronicle Herald represent what “we” should be doing?

I happen to know for a fact that the reason Nova Scotia conservatives embraced the statebelt law besides of course that another “conservative” in John Buchanan capitulated, is that John Buchanan listened to the outcry of the medical community and decided that the “experts” must be listened to. I know this because a friend of mine is an ideological gadfly who has provided advice to old John from time to time some 25 years ago or so. Of course at that time anyone who dared to even question a doctor on any issue was really asking for trouble I guess…

The ATV ban which John Hamm and his merry men will so reluctantly embrace will be because of the medical community. The medical community says that cigars and Marlboro’s must be banned, and Conservatives capitulate, not to worry of course because they capitulated all in the name of single payer single tier publicly funded healthcare similar to what can be found in North Korea, another conservative tenet I guess…

We have New Democrats, Liberals and Conservatives in Ottawa all voting to ban trans-fats because it must be OREO and Twizzler’s fault that British Columbian MP Libby Davisfor the New Democrats is the size of an elephant and is obese! The medical community says jump, every member of the tribe says “how high?”

I take pride in knowing in that as a young child not only did I ride ATV’s, but also snowmobiles (Arctic Car Kitty Cat) and atv's like the Honda 70, and dirt bikes on a regular basis with the approval of my parents. Furthermore I take pride in knowing that my son is almost at an age where he in fact will also ride snowmobiles, ATV’s, and dirt bikes and will do so with me and my father.

Doctors’ call for bicycle helmets, the tribe says, “What kind?” And conservatives for whatever reasons refuse to mount a legitimate intellectual challenge on any of these issues from the statists within their own organizations.

The ATV issue is just another in a long line of issues where conservatives introduce laws which attack liberty instead of promoting liberty. A crowd easily moved to tears is just as easily moved to create irrational laws as a form of knee jerk reaction.

Some bad and very sad incident can happen on whatever issue, and big government steps in and clamps down on choice as if it was a gift from Jesus himself...

This ATV issue reminds of that sad day when a nut walked onto a University campus in Quebec and opened fire on people who had just been walking by, minding their own business. The medical community then just as it is now, began calling for laws as if somehow laws would protect us from people who were going to screw up anyways. It was a conservative party which acted and introduced bill C-17 gun control, and I have a very bad feeling that once again it will be a conservative party which acts on the advice of the medical community and calls for a ban on ATV’s just as they did with cigars and cigarettes.

So next time the God complex kicks in, as it has so many times in the past, who will protect us from the doctors?

IT"S GOING TO BE BOY NUMBER 2!!!

2005-10-27T21:55:00.000-03:00

Just got the official news, it’s going to be boy number 2!!!

The date is fast approaching, good thing I bought a 5 bedroom home this year because the space will soon be that much more crowded!

Can’t wait, I can teach him all about cigars, horseshoes, F1, skiing, ATV’s, Mel Tormé and Frank Sinatra, Def Leppard and most importantly, LIBERTY! My boy is very happy and looking forward to having a brother very soon!

Prelude To A Kiss

2005-10-26T20:45:00.000-03:00

Prelude To A Kiss, is an interesting Mel Tormé album for me, because of a number of personal reasons. The first time I took my wife out, we were at a jazz club. On that night back in my hedonistic days they played that album from start to finish; which for me being a casual fan of Tormé was a big thrill to say the least!

Well Prelude To A Kiss has been digitally remastered and cleaned up recently while also being spotted on the racks of record stores (or should I say CD stores since I can’t buy vinyl at many of these places anymore?) in its original form.

The entire album is a concept about a relationship. The relationship as far as I can tell is about one of his romances with either Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe, or Marilyn Maxwell. Consisting of 12 musical tracks. The album opens with dialogue between a cool hip Mel and the woman who represents that special person in Mel’s life at the time. Between each musical track, dialogue is recorded describing the advancement of the relationship.

What can one say about an album that contains such classic Tormé tracks as “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You”, “I Can’t Believe That Your In Love With Me”, “I’ve Got The World On A String”, “Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea”, and “One Morning In May”? The only word which describes this set would be ‘Masterpiece”.

The final kiss off dialogue at the end of the album seems to indicate to me anyways that the album is about Ava Gardner. The debate continues however over exactly who it was about.

Recorded with the brilliant Marty Paich back in 1958, the vibe and flow of the entire recording between Tormé/Paich reminds one of the Sinatra/Riddle partnerships. Yes those years between 1954 and 1964 Mel and Marty were on fire forming a cohesive artistic team focused on moving the jazz boundaries and scoping out new ground on each successive album.

Buy this album on E-Bay or Amazon or wherever, it is a must have!

Those Eyes!

2005-10-26T18:58:00.000-03:00

There, I was, when someone answered the door and said, "Welcome to the strangest party baby, we were hoping that you were gonna come", Man, I love when people name check Inxs!

Well that night a woman said to me that there was something about her eyes that bothered her. Well today, I understood why!

The wolves have figured out what I did about 6 months ago it seems...

The Next President of North America?

2005-10-25T18:45:00.000-03:00

Is this person the next President of North America?

The most interesting aspect of this however, the polling data I have read and listened to points out that 50% to 60% of the black vote is prepared to back this candidate. It is also split evenly among black women and men where she enjoys 50% of each gender.

What this means is that it is game over for the Democrats.

A black woman, who is from the south, who has made it on her own without special hire programs who supports and endorses the Republican agenda. I'm not expressing support for Rice nor am I expressing support for the Democrats either; just stating a fact.

The time has come for Democrats to make themselves different from the Republicans by endorsing the rolling back of the state, as well as size of the state, otherwise they may have no long term future in the halls of power.

Iraq and Freedom

2005-10-25T00:25:00.000-03:00

Is it any wonder that Progressive Conservatives the party which brought in hand gun registration in Canada C-58, and also the party which brought in Gun control C-17 with Brian Mulroney, that it is now Conservatives in Canada who mostly support the invasion of Iraq?

You know, I haven't heard much on a right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed in Iraq. However, I thought I heard or read a little on this aspect being ignored or missing from a proposed Iraqi Constitution. Now I do realize this stuff was voted on recently and I haven't had a chance to read up on it yet since my plate is full with 1000 other things.

Things have been so bad in Iraq by the occupiers, that the British have been reported "de-arming the populace”, all of this of course is being done in the name of freedom…

Just what we need, more people on the “right” who claim to be conservatives working hand in hand with the United Nations to take away your right to bear arms. Telling us that the best way to live in a freedom based society is to take away your right to bear arms to protect your private property and family…A true joke indeed.

But did anyone expect anything better from America home of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms?

Peanut Butter Part 2? The Silly Citrus Syndrome

2005-10-23T16:11:00.000-03:00

There I am in the process of selling someone some gas products when the biggest load of gas I have ever heard was muttered from across my desk. A co-worker of mine began talking to no one in particular about a place where large numbers of young people gather everyday to work, learn, and become better adults.

The co-worker’s anger which was what caught my attention in the first place was being directed at the Silly Citrus Syndrome. What is the Silly Citrus Syndrome you ask? It’s the Peanut Butter Brigade Part 2.

It’s the movement to ban all citrus products from public. Much like the Peanut Butter Brigade, the Silly Citrus Syndrome will not stop until it has successfully managed to convince the majority in the tribe that Citrus must be stopped at whatever the cost if we love the kids. You see, we can attack any and every liberty which exists in a freedom based society if you can convince the soccer moms driving the SUV’s that it’s good for the kids. In fact we do attack all libery in the name of the child.

It turns out that in place with 300 young people, you can find one person who is allergic to citrus. So allergic in fact that everyone must partake in a ban that outlaws the old orange. How does this happen you ask? Well, the parents of this one adult and the state funded medical community can’t help but make every other young person’s life a living hell, so begins the lobbying. You know letters, examinations, recorded discussions and so on. Also I should point out that a number of round table discussions happen, the part that I don’t understand, is that the table is never round, it’s oval shaped or rectangular.

Before one knows it, oranges and all citrus products are banned much like the immature, irrational, and illogical Peanut Butter Brigade has managed to do.

The sad thing is, this being North America, which really is code words for France for those of us who spend anytime thinking about individual liberty, must deal with these constant social interventions into individual human behavior and choices. In this case, it’s citrus products, in another it’s pot, in another its fatty foods. The worst part about these acts of kindness is that it is nothing more but psychopathology dressed up in the form of voluntary consent and majority rule.

Since Conservatives voted with Liberals and New Democrats for the banning of trans-fats, in the name of the child, will they also call for a ban of oranges in the name of the child?

Like the banning of apples, peanut butter, and granola, the Silly Citrus Syndrome will not stop till they have managed to turn orange eating into the same public disgust as smoking on privately owned property which I’m sure most restaurant owners can fully appreciate.

New Thoughts, New Ideas

2005-10-22T21:44:00.000-03:00

A great new link for anyone who is interested in legitimate intellectual thought. You want an alternative view to the nanny state ways of Conservatives and Liberals enjoy this link

Hunting Season

2005-10-22T12:34:00.000-03:00

Well this morning I was up at 6AM, went outside for a short walk around the property. The air was crisp, and as the sun began to shine later in the morning I noticed the sky was blue with no clouds. One thing entered my mind, deer hunting season soon. I'm getting hungry!

Jeff Martin Quits The Tea Party

2005-10-19T00:18:00.000-03:00

I'm in a state of shock right now, I own 1000 albums on the vinyl format and 1000 albums on the CD format. I saw The Tea Party play as an indie band during an instore at Sam The Record Man on Barrington St in Halifax one day. That night they played a gig at an old hang out called the Double Deuce.

My brother "Moo Man" and I also spent some time with the band back stage during the Splendor Solis tour.

When The Edges Of Twilight came out, we had a party that night at my old pad with some friends. Each album release date was like an event.

Enjoy It, It's Coming Canada...

2005-10-17T21:57:00.000-03:00

Enjoy this commercial

It's a radio commercial with a computer screeen. Listen to the commercial and watch what the computer does! Very sad. The world is really a sad place and Conservatives voted in favour of banning fats which simply shows that this add is correct.

The Attack On Gold Has Always Been Here

2005-10-17T21:10:00.000-03:00

The Early Gold Wars
The Congress shall have power ...to coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures."
1787 - The Constitution of the United States - Section 8

That is precisely what the Congress did. In 1792, the Dollar was fixed by law at 24.75 grains or 0.05156 troy oz. of Gold. In 1837, the coinage was reworked and the Dollar was defined at 25.8 grains of Gold "nine-tenths fine". That gives 20.67 Dollars to one troy oz. of Gold. That was the Dollar's "fixed value" (see the quote above) for 96 years from 1837 to 1933.

War Declared - 1933-34
(The reference for this material is: Economics And The Public Welfare - A Financial and Economic History of the United States, 1914-1946 by Benjamin M. Anderson)

March 4, 1933
Not quite 20 years after the establishment of the Fed, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated for his first term in office.

March 6, 1933
Using a wartime statute passed in 1917, Mr Roosevelt issued a proclamation closing every bank in the U.S. for four days. The banks were closed from March 6 to March 9.

March 9, 1933
Day One of "The Hundred Days". The President called a Special Session of the newly-elected Democratic Congress for the purpose of debating an act prepared in advance by the President's advisors. In a few hours, with minimal if any debate, Congress passed the act: "to provide relief in the existing national emergency in banking, and for other purposes".

April 5, 1933
President Roosevelt, acting under the sweeping authority passed to him by Congress on March 9, signed Presidential Executive Order 6102 which invoked his authority to make it unlawful to own or hold gold coins, gold bullion, or gold certificates. The export of Gold for purposes of payment was also outlawed, except under license from the Treasury.

June 5, 1933
A joint resolution signed by the President was introduced into Congress. This resolution abrogated the gold clause on all existing government and private contracts. Needless to say, the resolution passed.

October 1933
The Roosevelt Administration decided to implement a policy suggested by Professor George F. Warren of Cornell University. This policy advocated controlling "inflation" (firmly defined by this time as "rising prices") by raising and lowering the "gold content" of the Dollar. This policy was implemented, amongst many others, under the first big measure of the New Deal, the "National Recovery Act" (NRA). By January of 1934, the "adjustable Dollar policy" was an obvious and perceived failure, and it was dropped. The NRA itself was declared Unconstitutional on May 27, 1935.

January 30, 1934
The "Gold Reserve Act" became law. It had passed through Congress in five days, with minimal debate. Under this act, the Federal Government took away title to all "Gold Certificates" and gold held by the Federal Reserve Bank (the independent Fed?) and vested sole title with the U.S. Treasury. The Fed banks were to be provided with "Gold Certificates" in return for their Gold, but these certificates had no specific value in Gold assigned to them. When one witness testifying before the Senate Committee protested, he was taken aside by an Administration Senator and the situation explained to him:

"Doctor, you don't understand about these gold certificates. These are not certificates that you can get gold. These are certificates that gold has been taken away from you."

January 31, 1934
The day after the passage of the Act, President Roosevelt fixed the weight of the Dollar at 15.715 grains of Gold "nine-tenths fine". The Dollar was thereby devalued from $20.67 to one troy ounce of Gold to $35.00 to one troy ounce of Gold - or 40.94%. The Treasury, which had become the possessors of all the nation's Gold on the previous day, saw the value of their Gold holdings increase by $US 2.81 Billion. The Treasury now "owned" the Gold, and no one else inside the U.S. was allowed to own any Gold except by the express permission of the Treasury.

The new ratio of $US 35 was adopted at Bretton Woods in July 1944. The U.S. Dollar was made the world's Reserve Currency and the IMF and World Bank established in 1947. The now international ratio of 35 U.S. Dollars to one troy ounce of Gold lasted until August 15, 1971.

1st Sign of Economic Meltdown?

2005-10-10T23:19:00.000-03:00

Well this link is rather important to those of us who have been tracking the expansion of the money supply and interest rates. Could this link be the 1st hint of a major economic correction?

If, and this is a very big IF, it is the 1st sign, will we learn from our economic mistakes? One wonders what advice Ludwig von Mises would provide? Oh never mind, here is the advice.

Try as they might, the US Dollar really means shit in the big picture because it always comes back to Gold no matter how hard they try and stamp it out...

I'm guessing that many people who own a hard cover version of Theory of Money and Credit (1912) will be watching the markets this week.

Long Live Gold!!

Right Now

2005-10-09T21:06:00.000-03:00

Mel Tormé’s Right Now, released in 1966 with Columbia records, was his 2nd of 5 albums where Mel attempted to meld jazz with rock 'n' roll. Now for the serious jazz fan that only lives in a world of purity, this era of Tormé is considered blasphemy at best; for the rest of us however, this album represents something new and exciting.

If you dig the loungier vibes and groves of the mid to late 60’s Frank Sinatra, then you will dig this ear candy that Mel Tormé placed so much work into. Recording many current rock songs and putting a jazz spin to them isn’t easy for a master like Tormé, but he pulls it off somehow like a king who has returned to sit upon his throne. He reminds people that important writers had songs which had to be listened to; it was Mel Tormé’s and Frank Sinatra’s duty to follow through on such important work to enlighten the masses.

Since I mentioned Frank Sinatra, you might be interested in knowing that Mel's old friend Frank, had just discovered a hit song with Strangeres In The Night, well Tormé decides to take on the challenge and one up Frank by recording the song with more power and ups Frank's seldom heard scat abilities at the end of the track.

The vocals are dead on, and the pitch is so precise that Mel’s voice could power an F18. The overall arrangements are fun and hip, while the recording production is clean and clear. This album has been recently re-released and re-mastered in the digital format so everything is heard the way it would have been the day that it was recorded in the studio.

The original 12 tracks are included, plus the 10 additional tracks that were recorded at the same time, but released as singles for Columbia at a later date.

Latin groves a la Bossa Nova are recorded here with the classic Lima Lady, a re-worked and much more soulful version of Coming’ Home Baby which was from the 1st of 5 albums melding rock with jazz. A very funky All That Jazz, and the fist pumping Dominique’s Discotheque simply make one smile with delight. My personal fav track being Ciao Baby which just sounds great driving in a car with the windows rolled down. Buy this album, you won’t be disappointed!

Liberals Are Being Fiscal!

2005-10-06T20:09:00.000-03:00

Now is the time for Conservatives to stand their ground, and provide a legitimate and consistent alternative to the statist quo. The following link, shows that the federal Liberals have been able to successfully isolate themselves from any future complaints from Conservative activists and organizers on the tax cut issue.

As so many of you will recall, Conservatives across Canada refused to take Edmonton’s King Klein and his socialist spending ways to task, they chose to ignore him simply because he was “our socialist in power”. Well St Paul Martin has taken a lesson from the Alberta example, buying votes and simply writing out cheques for everyone, the right thing to do is introduce an across the board tax cut. This is the same garbage that Edmonton’s King Klein and his Progressive Conservatives have done, and will continue to do. Paul Martin will be able to look the cameras in the eye and tell Conservatives to go to Alberta and tell Ralph Klein that he and his supporters must have it wrong if the Liberals have it wrong.

Now we all know that the overwhelming majority of Conservatives will not tell Ralph Klein to shove it, therefore they are intellectually weak in attacking Paul Martin on this issue.

The only thing that Stephen Harper and his Conservatives can do, and frankly it is the moral, reasoned, logical, and rational thing to do, is call for an actual reduction in total government expenditures. In other words, if the state spends $200 Billion this year, put out a election brochure which calls for spending to be reduced to $150 Billion next year as just one example. This would present something different from the Liberal way federally, and different from the Alberta way provincially.

We know that Conservatives support gun control, Kyoto Accord, public single tier healthcare, daycare boondoggles, CBC, throwing money at cities, and increasing federal involvement in Education, which like Healthcare, is also a provincial jurisdiction.

The time has come for the role and size of the state to be rolled back. No consolidating and combining departments but actually eliminating departments one at a time.

So the question is, will the movers and shakers actually begin moving and shaking? Or will they go along with the Liberals because they are nothing more but irrational partisan hacks who lack the intellectual courage to stand up for what they believe in?

New Friends and Old Friends

2005-10-02T14:34:00.000-03:00

Let us take this next few minutes to welcome some people into the Blog World. Many of whom are also fellow travellers on the road to Liberty:

My old friend W.L.

Alberta Exposed

Old AB Freedom

Sheryl is a lefty, but an intellectual one so that I can deal with plus she is just a cool person.

My man Mitch friend of Ian (Ian Get A Blog)

Angryroughnech is really pussy cat deep down inside