“My First Cavity Search: Helping your child understand why he may be a threat to national security.” Must be a parody. There’s no way the Transportation Security Administration would release this. The thing is it could easily be mistaken as legit considering what the tea party is coming up with for kids. Wonder if it’s available on Amazon? Would make a good companion book to this. Se H/T: Boing Boing …
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Hard to believe this is actually a title for sale on Amazon.com. But it appears to be genuine. Sick. From the author’s product description, seems like it was written by an illiterate, too: This is my attempt to make pedophile situations safer for those juveniles that find themselves involved in them, by establishing certian rules for these adults to follow. I hope to achieve this by appealing to the better nature of pedosexuals, with hope that their doing so will result in less hatred and perhaps liter sentences should they ever be caught. H/T: @atheistincanada UPDATE: A Facebook page …
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Ottawa police will not be pursuing an investigation into the fraudulent names entered on the Avaaz petition regarding Fox News North after all. You can breathe a little easier now, Kory. The online petition, which quickly gathered thousands of names, demanded that Sun TV not get any preferential treatment on its broadcast-licence application. When Kory Teneycke (Ten-IKE) — Quebecor’s former chief proponent for Sun TV — ridiculed some of the names on the petition as clearly phoney, Avaaz.org went to police noting the petition list was not publicly available and that all the fake names …
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Keith Olbermann will be back on MSNBC Tuesday. Guess those petitions, calls and emails must have done the job. Meanwhile, the nuts in the wingosphere are blowing gaskets over MSNBC’s election night coverage.  They hated it. No shit. Seems it wasn’t deferential enough to Republicans. H/T: JeffersonObama …
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From Justin Kozuch via OakBayBoy: Calgary doesn’t know how lucky it is. Toronto should be so lucky. …
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I love Roger Ebert. I liked him as a reviewer of movies – he was lucid, thoughtful and never gave away the plot or ending (hear that, Peter Howell). But as a political observer, he is unparalleled. He just devastates everyone and everything in his path. Not with malice but with heart. He lets us decide about the movie or politician or cultural event for ourselves. He just gives us the bare facts. We are left to decide for ourselves. Here Ebert, once again reveals the obvious so many of us miss – our new everyday Canadian mayor – Rob Ford. Not with words but with this simple …
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This video represents the first 14 minutes or so of Rachel Maddow undressing the whole lying machine so carefully constructed by the right, with their crafted lies that a gullible media either willfully ignores or is too ignorant or lazy to fact check. Last night and a little bit tonight, Anderson Cooper explored the same Bachmann and Co. lies but Cooper did it far less effectively, with far less conviction and without the use of facts or video evidence Maddow employs so well. Watch this video. It is journalism. It is partisan to be sure but it is true, it is devastating but it will not …
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The following is an image that sent shivers of pleasure up Ann Coulter’s leg.  She tweeted a link to the image, which Sarah Palin promptly ‘Favorited’. …
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This is not good for ISP’s, customers and especially downloaders. Today the CRTC pushed telecom policy one step in the wrong direction for independent Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and one giant misguided leap in the wrong direction for Canadians. The problem? Usage-based billing (UBB). When the CRTC approved Bell’s request to bill Internet users based on how much they download, they didn’t limit it to individual internet aficionados like you and me. The CRTC has also imposed UBB on the independent ISPs that rent lines from Bell, which allows the telecom giant to limit how …
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It was a tough night for Democrats, the Blue Dogs and for Sarah Palin. Democrats lost the House. 28 Blue Dogs bit the dust. Palin’s O’Donnell and Angle lost. It’s looking like Palin’s arch enemy Murkowski may defeat tea party darling  Joe “Handcuffs” Miller. Expect a lengthy court room drama with that baby. As tough as the midterms were for the Democrats, it does have a silver lining for the left. Republicans are feuding big time. The establishment is not happy with the tea party goons and the tea party is disowning the establishment GOP. Even Karl Rove is …
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Conservatives across the country are nodding their heads in appreciation of Iran’s leniency. But their hatred and fear of a Muslim country pulls at them to object. They don’t know what to think. Life is so tough. On the one hand, Iran is a brutal place with a scary religion and even scarier ideology. Then again, outside of that, Iranians know how to treat a woman. Stoning is barbaric. Hanging is so much more civilized. As the Canadian Taliban would no doubt approve, unless you are Sarah Palin’s daughter, adultery is a punishable offense. God says so. Also, serves her …
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In what can only be deemed as the height of incompetence, Christine O’Donnell forgot to pay a TV station for a 30-minute ad for the candidate last night. It was comedy gold as Christine O’Donnell tweeted excitedly up until the supposed air time, then this: Graphic: Crooks & Liars Turns out Christine’s campaign forgot  to pay for – or couldn’t afford – the commercial. While O’Donnell and the Malkins on the right are furious at the station, mocking another media outlet for being supposedly part of the ‘lamestream’, the facts – …
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It doesn’t get more blatant than this. For a network caught many times manipulating images of liberals and placing the word ‘Democrat’ or ‘D‘ under pictures of Republicans caught doing bad things, this is a new low. The network just can’t help itself. It really is that evil. …
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This is absolute insanity. At least one out of every three American woman soldiers is raped by fellow soldiers. A congresswoman said Thursday that her “jaw dropped” when military doctors told her that four in 10 women at a veterans hospital reported being sexually assaulted while in the military. A government report indicates that the numbers could be even higher. Rep. Jane Harman, D-California, spoke before a House panel investigating the way the military handles reports of sexual assault. “My jaw dropped when the doctors told me that 41 percent of the female veterans seen there say …
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Strange that a mock rally featuring two comedians could stir up such feelings of jealousy and turn journalists into concern trolls for Jon Stewart*. While details of the rally has yet to be released (an itinerary here, for those who believe it’s real), speculation is already rampant in the beltway that it will be a big failure and a huge knock on Stewart’s credibility. Funny that, he’s not supposed to have any. The other angle that will be interesting to watch is the age of the attendees. Pundits have been predicting a mass of college-age hippies smoking dope on MLK’s …
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No small amount of amusement is being enjoyed by many on the left over the juxtapalooza going on over in the far reaches of the Canadian (and American) wingnutosphere. One of the welfare-hating superstar clan of the axis of BlazingCatShaidle-Mark Steyn-Small Dead Animals evil has been hit with a lawsuit, it would appear as a result of linking to a ‘far right’ site, that being  steynonline.com. Lawsuits are not news with these people, so divert your attention instead to the heart-stopping quickness with with the recipient of the suit and his other half adopted a welfare ain’t …
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When Lauren Valle was tackled and stomped on by Rand Paul thugs, all the talk was about the brutality of the head stomping. But something on the video is so evident, I’m surprised no one has brought it up yet. Just after Valle is tackled and shoved to the ground, the tackler (identified by blogs as Mike Pezzano) reached around under Valle’s arm and grabbed her left breast in a violent manner (approx. the 20 second mark on the video below). It is obviously not a slip of his hand. The video is obvious. Surely, this is grounds for charges against the tackler more than the tackle …
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No, of course Tea Partiers are not violent bigots. Of course they are not sexist, racist assholes. They are the perfect people – the chosen few. Except of course if you happen to be minority, a woman or a Move On supporter. In that case, you can be spit on, be the recipient of racial epitaphs, and have your head stomped on by some asshole from the Republican-backed Tea Party. This brings a whole new meaning to “Don’t Tread On Me”. Caution: the following video contains graphic material of a woman being stomped on and abused by a crowd of right-wing fanatics (probably …
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Thanks in large part to the idiotic statements and actions of the tea party candidates, Obama’s numbers are climbing again. Democratic voters are finally becoming engaged. Obama drawing 37, 000 to an event last week should have sent a message to the right. They had huge leads but they can’t help but blow it. I don’t doubt the GOP will make gains in November. It’s history; midterms are always bad for incumbents, especially in times of a bad economy and high unemployment. But the closer to the election, the more afraid Americans are becoming. Contrary to Palin and …
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The scummy editors at the National Post jumped the gun ten days ago when they featured an almost half- page headline on page one announcing, “Omar Khadr to admit to murder”. Well, he hadn’t yet announced his intention to do so and there was no verification from the government that Khadr was about to. That didn’t matter to the National Post. They wanted so badly for Khadr to be guilty, they couldn’t help themselves. I suppose the Post will claim they were being prescient, instead of just being the yellow judges and juries that they are. Today, Khadr admitted his …
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The predicable phalanx of right-wing bloggers exploded today with breathless claims that they have discovered proof of their long-held claim that Iraq did indeed have weapons of mass destruction just prior to the invasion by the US/British troops in 2001. Trouble is, that claim is mostly bogus. Surprised? I didn’t think so. Wired breaks down the silliness with actual information of what is included in the leaked documents and what is not. However, that site strangely pushes the sensational aspect of the WMD angle.  Sadly, Andrew Sullivan also falls for the meme, hook, line and sinker. …
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Early in September, I predicted what a typical night of Fox News North programming would look like. Here’s an adjusted prediction, based on today’s confirmation of the hiring of Ezrant and Krista Erickson. Midnight -3 pm – Off the air. 3-6 pm - Watch My Legs – Blonde Krista Erickson does her best Megyn Kelly impression. Big male audience. In FNN’s answer to the liberal girls’ show, ‘The View’, Krista is joined by fellow hosts Bev Oda, Barbara Kay, Karla Homolka and Kory Teneycke. 6 pm - Mike Duffy’s World – How to prorogue in seven …
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Despite filling their roster with future superstars, the Edmonton Oilers are struggling. As if scared by a reminder of last year’s dismal season, the Oilers have come up with a unique (for Canada) gimmick to fill the stands and boost the TV ratings. Later this season we will see cheerleaders in the stands at Oilers‘ games. Yes, cheerleaders. How positively American! Does that mean Stephen Harper will jump aboard and form his own cheerleaders? Can you imagine it? The Connies, somersaulting and cheering in unison with a shotgun in one hand and a bible in the other. But wait, what am …
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Now all those gasbags on the right have reason to legitimately tie Soros to Media Matters. It’s actually a reality now. Soros is a donor to Media Matters. A big donor. Media Matters has done a credible job so far of keeping the feet of the homophobic, racist, criminals of the right’s to the fire. Now, Glenn Beck has reason to shudder. The shit is about to hit the fan. Time until wingnut heads explode? 3…2… UPDATE: Glenn Beck says the donation puts a ‘$1 million bounty on [his] head’! Cross posted at Let Freedom Rain …
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From the desert sands at the foot of the Rockies, did Calgary and Edmonton just elect progressive mayors? Terahertz thinks so and who am I to argue? How can this happen in the province of Klein, Stelmach and Stephen fucking Harper? Nenshi and Mandel! If it can happen in Alberta … Take heart my progressive dogs, we still have a voice. If we can bark, we can bite. Ignatieff and Layton, take from this a lesson: we can win. Stop playing games. Stop being accommodating gentlemen. Win. The time has never been better. The Cons are begging to be put out of their misery. What are you waiting …
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I wonder if Nevada’s tea party queen Sharron Angle will deign to respond to Ambassador Gary Doer’s demand that she retract her fallacious claim that terrorists are pouring over the border from Canada into the USA? Taking into account that Angle is not one to be bothered with facts or contrition, I doubt she will bother with some terrorist Canadian’s demands. UPDATE: It would be prudent  for the Globe to correct its spelling of the Nevadan’s name, a full day later. And we Canadians complain that American journalists don’t know how to spell our national figures …
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Rex Murphy knows his role is to entertain his Conservative troops. It hasn’t been going that well lately for his boys. He puts on a brave face. “Who cares” if Canada was embarrassed the world over by its ass kicking at the UN? The UN? Sissy boy do gooders. “Who cares” that the Conservatives were humiliated by its defeat on the Census? Muttering to himself, Rex is shrugging as if speaking to an invisible audience. The brandy glass in his hand is still full. He puts it down carefully and sighs – what was he thinking? Alcohol? Rex Murphy don’t need no …
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Dr. Dawg has been doing a yeoman’s job of exposing the horrors of the post G20 police state of Toronto. Run don’t walk to Dawg’s Blawg for a sobering 15-minute video of what has become of Toronto. Myself, I don’t think the police state is relegated to Toronto. Under the Conservative government, the violence against innocent citizens demonstrated in Toronto can only spread to other cities in Canada. The appalling overuse of force combined with authoritarian paranoia is catching. How long before we will see this kind of police state tactics in Montreal, St. John’s …
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It’s taken Wikileaks awhile since first announcing that it was about to release more than 400,000 military reports concerning the Iraq war. But Monday looks like the day. Expect the shit to hit the media fan. While it’s dubious anything substantial or revelatory will be included, it still should be quite interesting to watch how the military and the administration handle any potentially embarrassing facts and figures. It will also be amusing to watch the spittle fly as the right-wing media tries to downplay the seriousness of any such revelations while calling the rest of the media …
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Walking past a newsstand just now I was shocked to read the headline splashed in huge type on the front page of the National Post, ‘Omar Khadr to admit to murder’. I rushed home to peruse the other major newspapers’ online versions to follow up on this stunning bit of news. Funny, nothing. I checked Progressive Bloggers. Nothing.  So, I held my nose and opened the NP site. Nada. What? I’m not going to dignify the yellow* (appropriately literally) rag by following up inside. You can if you like but no linky. If anyone has a more information on this major story, please …
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Due to lack of evidence. Is that a riot or what? Evidence. The cops didn’t need no stinking evidence. What a sick fucking joke on us all, let alone on those innocent pedestrians and observers swept up in Harper’s paranoid version of tough on crime. Crown prosecutors have dropped charges against nearly 100 people arrested during the G20 summit, due to a lack of evidence. Most of them were Quebeckers who travelled to Toronto for the summit and were billeted at a gymnasium in a University of Toronto building. Early on the morning of Sunday, June 27, police raided the building and …
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… she was coached by Sarah ‘in what respect, Charlie’ Palin advisers. And we know how well that worked out for Palin. The kicker is that one of those advisers thought O’Donnell did just great and won the debate. Can you say, ‘denial’? …
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If the Liberals were in power, it would have been a shoo-in. We’ve always been successful before. Now we have Harper. And the world knows it. Too bad a third of Canadians have no clue. What will it take before they realize Canada is being taken over by a megalomaniac authoritarian incompetent without our best interests in mind? To add to the shame, Canada withdrew from contention, according to Rosie Barton, to ‘avoid certain defeat‘. Cue the Con attack ads. It will be quite a stretch to blame Ignatieff when Harper’s crew withdrew on their own accord. If ads do run, …
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It’s been an amusing day watching the wingnuts’ heads explode over a book they thought was thrown at Obama during a speech Sunday. Speculation has been rampant; many rightbloggers compared the incident to the Bush shoe throwing moment. They’ve been positively giddy over the whole thing, using it to ridicule the president and the left. Only thing is the book thrower was actually the author of the book and merely tossed the book in Obama’s direction for him to read! When the author and book title are revealed, expect it to be a best seller. But it won’t sell nearly …
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Foreign countries will close their airspace to you, that’s what. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/uae-closes-airpsace-to-mackay-blocks-his-flight-from-afghanistan/article1752151/ …
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Best parody yet of O’Donnell’s “I’m not a witch” ad. UPDATE: Proof that Christine O’Donnell is no Sarah Palin: O’Donnell tweeted that the SNL skit was ‘really funny’. Palin would have been screaming. …
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Antonia Zerbisias has a thought-provoking article today in the Star regarding the easing of prostitution laws in Canada. She points out the disparity of views among feminists. Not surprisingly, many feminists are appalled at the decision. And it’s not just because historically some feminists are actually more puritans than feminists. Montrealer Diane Matte of the Coalition Against Sexual Exploitation is furious. She claims that feminists who support the ruling “want to prostitute other women”. “I’m sorry, but why should I, as a feminist, support that a woman wants to …
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Look, I appreciate Keith Olbermann. As an MSNBC celebrity, I don’t love him. He goes overboard and sometimes serves more as fodder for right wing mockery than for any appreciation of his humour, eloquence and withering critiques. In other words, I recognize him but don’t watch him any longer because of  his excesses. Saying that, as a sports guy he is unequaled. His replay commentaries on Sunday Night Football were unparalleled. He took his MSNBC persona, softened it, kept the humour and slid in some zingers. He was perfection. He gave it up (or more likely was forced to give it …
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