Budget 2006

"Florida - that's like America's wang"
-Homer Smpson


I didn't read the entire budget nor did I watch it read live. I read the commentaries and I gather that over all there is good news and there is bad news.

The good news is: don't expect Harris style cuts to services to pay for tax cuts.

The bad news is, do expect Dubya style spending on big ticket items like the military PLUS tax cuts which will probably equal a deficit in the future.

I did catch that the lowest tax bracket has had their taxes raised. I guess Harper, as a child, was read "Robin Hood" as a bedtime story - upside down.

The government took back the large amount of money alloted to native people last year - well they should be used to that by now (who are the "indian givers" now?).

There was no money mentioned for the environment (as expected).

It was a minority budget so (luckily) it could not be full steam ahead Reform..er..Alliance...I mean Conservative....

Galbraith died this week and an old idea of his was this: America (and also Canada - "America Junior" as Homer Simpson calls us) is creating vast personal wealth for a few and neglecting public "wealth".

Galbraith lived long enough to see tax cuts for people earning over $200, 000 and no health care for about 1/3 of the population

Does America Junior want this too?

Tom.

White House Press Secretary

What I am doing here is something I really hate seeing when other people do it - make a criticism based not on my own observations, but on those of others (but at least others who think much like I do).

I have never even seen FOX news but from clips I have seen on places like The Daily Show, it is a right wing news agency that rah rah's the republicans, who can do no wrong. When Stewart runs a FOX news clip, he usually mentions that the clip is exactly as FOX aired it.

The new White House Press Secretary comes from a job at FOX news.

See above: and my comment is "it figures".

Thos.

Crash

“Crash” was a good movie. I don’t know/give a crap that it won the oscar for best picture.

Who is America’s favourite lovable loser girl in those romantic comedies? Sandra Bullock. I always found it funny how in the movie universe, girls who look like Bullock have trouble getting dates. I guess Bill Gates can’t get a bank loan in an upcoming movie and Osama Bin Laden is wearing a crucifix (maybe Doris Day really was a virgin).

In “Crash” she plays a total upper-class, illegal maid hiring bitch. She was great. If she has played other roles like this, I have not sent those films.

I think, by definition, a movie with Don Cheadle in it is going to be good.

I forget Mat Dillon exists from time to time and still see that young pretty boy from the early 80s. He plays a racist LAPD cop who did not want to be a racist but it just worked out that way (racism and LAPD are two words often found together) . He tells a rookie cop that he too will become a person very different from who he thought he would be after he has been on the job for a while.

The plot is sort of contrived, but that’s what fiction is.

Both of the characters played by Bullock and Dillon turn out not to be as bad as you think they are.

Marina Sirtas, who’s English/Greek in real life, plays a Persian woman – she’s a little pale for Persian, but that was ok.

I have only watched it once, but I think “Crash” is a film that you can watch over and over again and see different things at different times.

I give it 2 ½ thumbs up.

Well, I have to go and cruise for girls who look like Sandra Bullock as they might really need to get asked out for the first time in a long time.

TF

Role Models??

Harper seems to be modeling himself on Bush.

Why?

Was Nixon second on his list?

Dubya-ism stands for secrecy, torture, less rights for women, no consideration for the poor whatsoever….well you all know….

His visit to Afghanistan was a good move as we do need to be reminded when we send troops into a war that they are there and we do want to maybe have some idea of why we have sent them there (oh my: quite the run-on sentence). Yeah, he “photo-opted” it but that’s what politicians do.

Mulroney was voted the best PM we have ever had regarding the environment and he was awarded for that this week (I wonder how many SUV limos were parked outside).
That speaks volumes to me as how poor our leaders have been on this subject.

Once upon a time when I was young, the Murkans had a nice guy for president named Jimmuh, who, perhaps even a little ahead of his time for a world leader, started several programs to develop alternative energies to fossil fuels, and programs to conserve energy. Then he lost his job to a Hollywood actor, “Country Gentleman” as John Mellancamp called him, and that actor cancelled every one of those programs.

Harper has just done the same thing. Global warming is not hippie science any more it’s slapping us in the face.

See, the environment is just not one of his priorities. That’s like Pat Quinn saying goaltending just isn’t one of his priorities.

One wonders how good a PM you are going to be when you model yourself after an idiot and people wish Mulroney was still in power.

TWF

Ass over Tea Kettle Near Corktown

I was traveling on a streetcar yesterday going from Yonge to The East End. I did not get far enough to see the enflamed controversy re: “Beach” vs. “Beaches” but there is a “town” every block – Cork Town, Leslieville, Riverdale….

Somewhere on the outskirts of Leslieville, a young woman was moving towards the exit door and she was yaking on her cell phone. Nothing happened like the streetcar suddenly stopping, but she just went ass over tea kettle and landed right on her butt.

It was funny as hell (she wasn’t hurt – I really hope that is a factor).

It seems those things are dangerous not just when you are driving.

TF

..but the day is not over

Yesterday I met some friends downtown. While on the train I decided to text message 2 of my friends on their cell phones. We're all Trekkies, so I choose to send the expression that Klingons use when going into battle:

"It is a good day to die".

The first friend got the message and was amused. I do not realize at that point that the second friend had switched carriers and his phone number had been given away. A few minutes after the message was sent, I got a phone call, and my friend's ID showed on the display, but it was a 15 or 16 year old girl who was rather upset that I had sent such a terrible message to her. She insisted I apologize, which I did, as one could see how that message , taken out of context, might be disturbing.
TF

It Begins

Dubya has packed the supreme court with 2 right wing judges to replace a retiree and a death. The main reason for this? To outlaw abortion. South Dakota has passed a law to ban abortions unless the mother's life is in danger. There is not even an exception for incest or for a woman who has been raped.

Fuck.

Now let's face it - rapists' rights have been eroded over the last few decades. Unlike me, I guess some people feel that that is a problem that needed to be corrected.

Ladies, it's cold in Winniped but at least there your rights are considerd to be of more importance than those of rapists.

A San Fransisco paper took it a step further and brought up a possibility:

Are you tired of not having any kids because you can't get any woman to fuck you ? No probs. Just rape one. You may do 20 years but a lovable little child can call you "Daddy".

TF

An Intersting "Take"

I was listening to a podcast of ABC's "This Week" and George Will made a point similar to mine, regarding The Cartoons and Islam. Islam wishes to exist without critcism. Democracy, and open societies THRIVE on criticism - it is one of our core values. Like me, he thinks they need to grow up a little.

TF

Good Samaritan

Two nights ago I took a cab home from the train station - and my wallet slipped out and ended up in the cab. I did not realize it util I went to look for my wallet yesterday afternoon - just as I was escalating to panicked mode there was a message on the answering machine from a man in Burlington (two towns over from Mississauga) that he had found my wallet. I begged a ride to Burlington and picked it up. I insisted he take a $20 from me and I was soon on my way home with my wallet.

Yes Virginia, there are decent folk left in this world.

TF

Freedumb of Speech

Not content with that...We pull Jesus from a hat...
Emerson, lake & Palmer



Why is that if people are yammering about "freedom of speech" it usually means they are up to something that is going to piss off a lot of people (maybe even most people) ? Child Molestors and Nazis are two groups that come to mind.

The Danish incident where Muhammed was depicted a s a terrorist has pissed off..oh..about a billion people. I must ask one question: If The Prophet cannot be depicted, how can you know if he's being depicted in a cartoon??????? Of course, it is perfectly fine for Muslims to vow death to Isreal, or to burn the Amerkun flag or the Star of David, isn't it? I find it amusing when those who dish it out, can't take it.

The cartoons were in very poor taste, and papers here did not run them, but Islam needs to get a sense of humour. "Our" Cat Stevens is over there - can we drop him a line on this ?

TF

I don't Want To Harp.....

Maybe I was once too harsh in predicting I would never stop bitching if Harper were elected PM. While I am not going to pull a Kent Brockman and welcome our new insect overlords, I do think he should be given some slack, but I am still waiting for the refoooooooorrrrrrrmmmmm agenda to assert itself.

Ok, Martin – he is not going to be missed – he’s not a total loser PM like Turner or Campbell but he’s no better than a Joe Clark. Like Joe, he’ll be remembered more for all he did other than being PM. So, if we had to send The Liberals another message, and in our entire history the only other alternative we have ever turned to are The Conservatives, a week minority is the best result we could have hoped for.

I am proud of Canadian voters, this week – and of course, for me, if you abandon the Libs to vote NDP, I can live with it.

Harper was shut out in Toronto, Montreal AND Vancouver. Large cities have more problems which often require government policies to combat them –“law & order” policies, by themselves,  about all we’ve seen from Harper, aren’t going to cut it.

The GTA has not forgiven Mike Harris and were sceptical that Harper walked too close to Mike’s footsteps.

Harper may have to jettison the gay-hatin’, bible-thumpin’ creationists, or relegate them to the back bench if he has any hope of leading a majority government. If he leaves them in the front, he’ll loose the next election.

Well, it’s going to be interesting….

TF



P.S. I am squarely against “Intelligent Design” being considered a valid scientific theory. I have an ally on that – THE VATICAN. Yeah, that’s right, THE  F^$&n POPE agrees with me.

When Young People Die

Have you ever noticed that people who are anti-abortion, or, “pro-life” don’t care about those babies after they are born?

If you’re pre-born, you’re fine. If you’re pre-school, you’re FUCKED.
-George Carlin.

I once again re-state that poverty and cuts to social programs do not put guns in people’s hands. But, are we not seeing what most of us predicted in 1995, that Harris’s gutting of the province would lead to exactly what we saw in 2005 ??

Conservatives love forcing women to have babies, not giving a toss about them when they are young (maybe some of them will die thus reducing the surplus population) unless of course they commit a crime in which case you throw them in jail, or , and this really gets them hard, execute them. Conservatives also love war so they get all a-flutter when their children die...oh sorry…I mean other people’s children die and come home wrapped in the flag .

So, killing an unborn child is wrong – but watching them starve to death, get executed or die for rich people is somehow not wrong.

Doesn’t sound like “Pro LIFE” to me – sounds like Pro MY life and Fuck anybody else’s.

The good news at least some of those people who die are gay….(just not in the Military).

TF

Please - Make it a Minority !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It’s sad to watch a great travesty occur in a neighbour’s house – it’s much, much tougher to  have to sit through it in your own house.

In 2004, John Kerry ran a flat, uninspired campaign that handed re-election back to Dubya. In 2006, Paul Martin is running perhaps even a stupider campaign handing the country over to the Reform party.  

The great thing about democracy is that we all get a vote. The bad thing about democracy is that we all get a vote. The average person is not curious and does not think things through – not when considering something of extreme importance such as who is going to lead the nation.

What is going to be very frightening is that Harper will blindly follow Dubya – and there’s a regime that has been a disaster. Harper does not value human rights, women’s reproductive rights, the environment, health care or social programs. What he does value is raising taxes for the poor and cutting them for the rich. Tax cuts plus new spending means cuts to social programs. Ontario has been ruined for decades by half a decade of Harris-ment and Harper is going to do the same thing.

The only hope I see is a Harper minority – which will be tough on him because he’s not comfortable with minorities, such as gay Canadians.

If You Wish to Post Comments

I've had to turn on some feature that blocks my blog from getting spammed. If you find it too hard to post, e-mail me your comments and I will post them.
-Tom

Alternative Theories

I don’t actually enjoy criticizing the American right, nor do I go out of my way to do so. They just don’t value anything that I value - such as science.

For people who follow science, like I do, in an “artsy” way, in America, and only America, there is a “debate” whether “Intelligent Design” should be taught in science class along side evolution.  I think this debate ended in most other First World countries back when Kaisers and Czars were ruling.

I am always open to alternative theories – but if a school board is to allow “Intelligent Design” should it not also provide an alternate theory for human reproduction? I recall a theory espoused in 1970s commercials for pickles that The Stork delivers babies – should that board not also teach the “Avian Express” theory of human reproduction???

How come in America Pat Robertson gets on CNN – in Canada we don’t put those people on CBC Newsworld - we call them those people who have the misfortune of battling with mental illness, and they don’t make it to television, at least not as commentators for world events.

His latest assertion is that Israeli PM Sharon was “sent” a stroke from God for…well who the fuck cares what Robertson said was the reason…

Continuing one with the trend, should we not allow the possibility that bleeding people with leeches is sound medical treatment, that the Moon might be made of green cheese, that the world is flat, is the centre of the universe, and hangs from the heavens by large gold chains?

As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, another soul from Purgatory springs…

TF

Election 2006

It seems like every other year we have an election....

Not much of a narrative here - more a series of thoughts. Luckily this is a blog and not a term paper at McMaster University during the 1980s (I am reminded of this as I type on a computer and not a typewriter).

The only obvious issue is that the Liberals did some bad things that lead to the sponsorship scandal. The other party that could realistically form a government, Harper's Reform party (for Air Farce fans REFOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORM) has wisely, to their advantage, pointed this out during every day of the campaign. The other "National" party, The CCF guys (and the only one with a good representation of gals), also began the campaign hammering the Grits for their corruption, as did the other party that wants to win all the Quebec Federal seats in a parliament it actually wants to leave (Le Bloc).

You know, even for French people, The Bloc are kind of odd.

Layton then realized that he shouldn't spend all his time demonizing the Liberals as this might drive some folks who voted Liberal in 2004 to switch to the Conservatives, so now he is letting us know that a Conservative Government would kill Canada as we know it (but he has left the door open to a possible Con-NDP Coaltion should the electorate return a Tory Minority).

As I have said before of myself, I am an "Orange Liberal", or, one that leans to the left of centre without being on the left wing. I guess that means I am still seateed in the fuselage but right up against the window??

Ok, we are ALL tired of The Liberal reign that began in 1993. But, and I cannot stress this enough, I want a better, or at least, not a worse regime in Ottawa to replace them.

Martin's defence is that it was OTHER Liberals who did those bad things - he had only a wee role in those governments: Finance Minister. Hardly significant at all, you know, like the tiny role David played in defeating Goliath.

I hate Harper and everything about him. If he is ever the PM, I'll never stop bitching about it until he isn't anymore.

I think though I need to separate Layton's moustache from his face - his rhetoric spewed during a campaign from what he would actually do as a Federal leader involved in a ruling coalition. I don't think he would be that bad, really. When he helped save the government in 2005, he did so with a set of NDP-style demands. He's just such a loud-mouth holier-than-thou fellow and I've had a problem with this since his days in Toronto politics.

If Martin scores anything less than a majority, he is done as Leader. I'll wait until that happens before I speculate as to who'd best replace him - Bob, Belinda, Lightfoot, Gretzky, Jerome The Giraffe..

Boy, these people with their accusations, half-truths and assertions are acting like children or, well, like politicians. (Aside: put "Or and "Well" together and you get George W Bush....).

I don't fear a hidden agenda from Harper -I fear what he has ACTUALLY SAID so far in the past two campaigns.

TF

The Colbert Report

Cobert, Commenting on his name:
It's FRENCH, bitch!

Daily Show spin-off "The Colbert Report" branches out successfully with the Daily Show format. Instead of fake news, Colbert offfers fake commentary.

It's quite good.

While Stewart does a stand-up routine (sitting down) as himself, Colbert plays a mostly right-wing character.

Nuf Ced - you like Stewart, you'll probably like Colbert.

And, in that, you can find "truthiness".

Prepare for a "Menage-a-Truth".
-Colbert

TF

Can't We Alll Just Get Along?

Iranian President Ahmadinejad has now joined the elite group of intellectual giants known as "Holocaust Deniers". This is a logical step for someone who a few months back stated that Isreal should be "wiped off the map". Not that post-Shah Iran has generally been known for tolerance or anything else that once made Islam a great culture, but they are moving in the wrong direction.

I don't pretend to understand the nuances of Middle Eastern politics, but statements like this from a powerful Islamic nation, are going to help make things better about as much as, oh I don't know, invading Iraq, maybe?

Islamic nations clog up the UN with motions against Isreali human rights violations, as if they weren't every bit as guilty of such violations themselves. Islam and Women's rights just walk side by side with each other, don't they (ok, the women must walk 50 paces behind, spoke when spoken to..).

If only it were possbile to bitch-slap nations into behaving....ok maybe some strong words instead.

TF

An X-Mas Election

I don't know if you can open with an "aside", but:
"X" in "X-Mas" is not a modern attempt to de-Christ Christmas. In ancient Greek, "X" was pronounced "Christos".

I don't want a holiday election. Nobody does. The ones who say they really they don't want one, are the ones that are going to cause one - Harper, Layton, and to some extent, Duceppe.

There have been times in the history of Canada, or one of it's provinces, where the old government needed to be changed, such as when a long-term leader is out of steam and needs to retire. This is not one of those times.

This election has only 2 probable outcomes: A Liberal or a Conservative minority. We have the former already, and the latter would fall after a few months when they try to reverse the same-sex marriage laws or something else that only rednecks want to see.

Ok, I don't like Jack Layton -I hated him when he was in Toronto Politics.

Ok, I really hate Harper - if you want to live in a country like the USA, MOVE to that country. Look how well Conservatism is doing under Bush (stage note - seams: begin coming apart). Harper's one claim to fame is that he makes you miss Preston Manning, the real Manning with the glasses.

TF

Commercials

Monica: I have big news
Chandler: What, that 5th dentist finally came around?


I worked for 4 different insurance companies from 1986 to 1995. At the third one, I was still a smoker and we had a real ventilated smoking room. First, sometimes my co-workers would mention a person’s name and I would not know who they were talking about. Then, they’d come back with “You don’t know her because she doesn’t smoke”.

Anyway, there were few topics where every person could contribute to the conversation. A certain movie? Some people had seen it. A book? Some people had read it. One topic that was universal was TV commercials. “My husband – some hotshot…”.

So I was drin… thinking about something: What if aliens could see our commercials from North American TV? What would they figure they knew about us? It would be like those archaeological digs where all we decide what we know about a group of people is based on their death and burial rituals.

I think they’d come up with something like this:

1. Women are way smarter than men – men can’t cook, they know nothing about their children, the wife has to tell the idiot how to microwave a burrito over the phone. I think the wives have to dress them and wipe their asses. I can’t imagine most of them are smart enough to get drivers licences.


2. Children are way smarter than adults.


3. Animals are way smarter than people and they can “talk”.


4. Everyone is married and there are no divorces.


5. All couples are heterosexual.


6. Until recently, all people were white.


7. Until even more recently, all couples were of the same race.


8. Life on earth involves a lot of jingoistic background music.


9. People with perfect skin use acne cleanser.


10. Everyone is thin except for those in weight loss commercials.


11. Very few men loose their hair


12. 21 year old gorgeous women (and men) won’t get dates if they use the incorrect shampoo, toothpaste or face soap.


13. Everyone has a good job, except the people in ads for vocational schools.


14. People have beer – they never drink it, they just have it around.


15. You can make fun of people – as long as they are white.

RE: 15. The Scottish: IT’S NO…OATMEAL. Italians: There was a commercial for a pasta sauce that was so authentically Italian that after the people at it, they all started singing opera. Can you imagine a bunch of black people where the fried chicken was so good that they all went out and started playing basketball?
TF