Congratulations, Toronto!

On the heels of Calgary electing a progressive, urbane young Harvard-educated professor, Toronto also commits to a new direction.

Rob Ford, fat f*ck.

Rob Ford isn’t repugnant and offensive because he’s fat. Being fat is only one part of a full package of traits that trigger disgust and apprehension in anyone who doesn’t pick fights with the press, doesn’t assault his wife (charges dropped), doesn’t lie about getting shitfaced and telling off civilians at a football game, doesn’t call AIDS your own f*cking fault, doesn’t praise Orientals for working like dogs, doesn’t drive impaired in his natural home, Florida, and isn’t a boorish, backward daddy’s boy. And he’s fat.  [asterick in place of the letter "u" is mine - Don]

I'm sorry, that's His Worship, Mayor Rob Ford, fat f*ck.  Enjoy!

Congratulations, Obama and Harper!

The American and Canadian governments have avoided the embarrassment of trying Omar Khadr.  Now they don't have to explain why throwing a grenade on a battlefield when most of your compatriots have been killed by the attacking force can be called murder, why a child soldier should be tried as an adult, and how being buried under a pile of rubble didn't prevent Khadr from throwing the grenade in the first place.  Further, they won't have to explain why they began torturing Khadr while he was still blind and broken from the battle.  The Canadian government won't need to explain why they didn't provide consular services to a citizen.  They won't need to explain why they made no effort, unlike every other western nation, to repatriate a citizen from Guantanamo.

So, to everyone involved in this case who have self-awarely sacrificed Khadr on the altar of saving face, eat a bag of dicks.

Happy, happy surprise

I met Naheed Nenshi over twenty years ago, working long days on a campaign until late each night, when I would give a few members of the team a lift home in my old rattletrap of a car.  I don't doubt some of his committment to safe, reliable public transportation was formed while he listened to the whine of my engine struggling up 36th Street, drowning out the strains of Pachelbel or Meatloaf, depending on the evening.

As I write this, Naheed is showing a 6000 vote lead with about half the polls counted, though given Barb Higgins' early lead, I don't think it's safe to call it over yet.  But Calgary seems on the verge of making an excellent decision, very possibly electing a whip-smart, visionary young man.  Tell him "Duke" says hello.

Edited to add: Congratulations, Naheed!

To virtually no one's surprise

It turns out the Tories are a bunch of lying liars who lie.  I still can't figure out why they've bothered.  Do they really have such an ideological hate on for the long-form census that this is the hill they're willing to die on?

You know, during the 2006 election, I kept hearing how the Sponsorship scandal was evidence that the Liberals had become too arrogant, and how some bench time would remind them they need to answer to Canadians.  It seems like less than five years in government, and the Conservative government is well overdue that same lesson.

I understood their battle on the long gun registry.  Never mind that it's many degrees cheaper to administrate than it was to set up, or that law enforcement agencies were lining up to beg the law-and-order party to keep the registry as a tool in the police arsenal.  Never mind all that, because the Conservatives had made a commitment to their base, and in particular to the farmier portions of their base.  It's tough to entirely fault them for attempting to follow through, even if they got involved in some pretty ugly tactics in the process.

But the long form census?  Who did they promise this scrapping to?  Who cared about this issue, until the Conservatives decided it was a good idea?

Well, as we discovered today, no one cared, outside of a few nutty constituents who warmed up their pencil crayons and sent the government a good scribbling.  I don't doubt a couple of those came pre-packaged with tinfoil and hat assembly instructions, to help out.

So I ask again, without irony or preconceived answer.  What am I missing on the benefit side of the calculation, that the Tories continue to feel is worth this ever-steepening political cost?