Stephen Harper has based his political career on the notion of austerity. Deep down, he believes it's good for the soul. But, Thomas Walkom writes, he also stands fourscore for another a-word -- absurdity. The recent arrests of two people in Halifax underscore just how absurd his new anti-terrorism legislation is:
Canada’s anti-terror laws don’t criminalize actions that might cause terror. Well before the current law was enacted in 2002, it was illegal in Canada to murder people or blow up trains.
Rather, they criminalize intent. It may be illegal to kill people in Canada. But it is even more illegal to kill people for a religious, ideological or political purpose.
More important, it is left to the state to decide — in the first instance at least — which murderous conspiracies have a political motive and which do not.
If there is a common thread between Harperian austerity and absurdity, it's the notion that anything means what I say it means:
So that’s the first point about the terror laws: They are unusually arbitrary.
The second is that the government’s interpretation of these laws is infinitely flexible. Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government, with the backing of Justin Trudeau’s Liberals, proposes a new anti-terror law that would give the security services even more power and citizens even fewer rights.
Never mind that the new law isn't needed. What Harper needs is the ability to define everything and everyone. He is a man obsessed with power and his own survival -- a very dangerous man.
15 comments:
So if everything is becoming 'arbitrary' in this realm, does that mean that Mr. Harper is succeeding in remaking Canada into a country governed by men and not laws?
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That would be my conclusion, Ross -- even though the Supreme Court keeps reminding him that's not supposed to be the way it works.
.. Liberal Reform Lobbyist Alliance Evangelical Conservative..
its getting hard to pin this scuttling trenchant ideologue down.. A parasite or adaptive chameleon? He certainly has no concern about shooting his mouth off. Ezra Levant pales before this grandmaster wanker of wordage quotes ludicrous grammar bullshit and hysteria.
The sandbox economist in short pants now drives Canada's Environmental Policy via the whim of his Energy Partners. Political animals a la Jason Kenney who lives with his mommy ascend to Minister of Defense due to musical chairs ministries and a talent pool that is mirage.
To sum up the brilliance of his circular nonsense I offer this pithy Harper quote.. No worries, he recycles this stuff daily & applies to any grave concern Canadians may have..
'that's obviously the reality of the situation and that's the sole reason we obviously have the development we have today'
I recall him using 'paramountcy' to explain how suddenly closing the Kitsilano coast guard station in Vancouver was actually putting more boats in the water..
"The paramouncy of government resources in this area is on public safety and the government is allocating its resources in a way that we believe, based on the advice we have received from the coast guard, that is best in terms of public safety," the prime minister said.
"That is to put as many of the resources as we can into actually having rescue boats in the water. That's where we put our investments going forward."
What th ? And these are just tiny samples.. no wonder he controls his access to curious media.. but the reality of Harper is that he knows 'tomorrow is another day' .. and distractions come along in a timely effective manner. Plane crashes, shootings, scandals, Super Bowls.. & friday late in the day is always good to drop his parasitic or sickly eggs.. or fling folks under the bus.. or just creep away with Ray Novak
When you read his words in print, salamander, it's shocking to see how vacuous they are.
He is sounding somewhat mentally unbalanced to me these days Owen. I find when his talking points aren't scripted and his talks are not choreographed, what he has to say is perplexing and at times ludicrous. I am just speculating about this, but your exactly right about him being a dangerous man.
There's a desperateness to Harper these days, Pam. And men such as he are dangerous when they're desperate.
Agreed. I also think that instability has not gone unnoticed in some political circles either, which also shows why the Lib decision on this issue was the smart political choice. I rather doubt in their private thinking they think this bill is any better an idea than the rest of us, but given the Harper track record of using security issues for totally partisan purposes, and clearly this time as an election issue especially after the Ottawa shooter last fall, well taking the path they did I believe was the best of a lot of bad choices to be making.
I've always said Harper was a dangerous man with radically divergent ideas of what is in Canada's best interests than nearly all Canadians, including most Conservative voters. I've done so for well over a decade now. However, I will agree that as of late, especially after he hid in the closet a change in him has happened, and not for the better. I can't help but think that having his own cowardice so exposed to the nation in a time of crisis and perhaps more importantly to himself has had a negative impact on his psyche. Something just feels different with him than what I've tracked since the late 80s, and it is making me nervous in ways I wasn't already, no mean feat.
As much as I've been saying stopping/removing Harper is an at all costs priority with me and should be for all Canadians across the political spectrum, I am starting to feel an additional urgency because of that sensation that he may actually be becoming truly unglued internally. I don't like what I am sensing, nor what I am saying. I make it a point to not generally discuss the sanity of political figures because I find it cheapens the discourse and is too easily used for cheap attacks without merit or substance. So making this comment on Harper is not something I do lightly at all. Something with him changed after the Ottawa shooting and his time as Captain Cowered. I do not know how much of it is because of what he showed to his caucus and the nation or what it showed to himself about himself that he had not understood, but something clearly is not the same about the man. I'm wondering if this also was part of what made Baird decide to get out now.
A very dangerous man indeed, on multiple levels/fronts.
There's always been a deep seated anger at Harper's core, Scotian. As things fall apart for him, my hunch is that his truly unreliable nature will become more apparent.
Owen:
Agreed about the rage, it was in fact one of the things that put him on my early warning radar. So having that and the factor I was talking about in combination, especially if he is starting to sense he may be losing his grip on power, dangerous could well end up being an understatement.
The calm exterior has always been just a facade, Scotian.
Harpo has a few fello band members none more crafty and morally bankrupt than Netanyahoo. Well he must have balls the size of death stars thinking he could show the maids house on National TV and claim it was where the first family lived. He was trying to get away from a $16.00 glass of orange juice but hopefully he has spilled the jug.
There is Harper's FIPA deal with China. This was so secret Harper met China in Russia, to plot this dastardly deed.
Harper called Russia and Putin evil Communists then, gave Canada to China with his FIPA deal, for a minimum of 31 years. China is to share the High Arctic resources with Russia.
Premier Clark also lied regarding, her 100,000 LNG jobs for BC people. She also lied of her six figure wage mine jobs for BC citizens. However, Premier Clark works for Harper as did Gordon Campbell.
The Mayor of Tumbler Ridge is very worried, China is taking those jobs too. If there is a blow-up, it will likely come out of BC. This one had even gone to court.
So, the resource money and foreigners wages, all go out of Canada. With the drop in price in only one commodity and they can't do a budget? Convince me?
Things are going south for these folks, Anon. And they're getting desperate.
After awhile, the spin becomes almost laughable, Steve. It would be laughable if there wasn't so much malice behind it.
So well said. If we don't get him out, I think we may have another Adolph on our hands.
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