Eff#ctive

While the media pearl-clutches over Pat Martin's "eat my shorts" comments, nobody else really cares. And all the publicity actually made Canadians aware of how the Harper Cons are trying to ram through their agenda. The exposure just might get the Cons to back off a bit.
And for all the talk about how the election gave Harper Cons a mandate to do whatever they like, remember what happened to the last guy who boasted about how everybody loved his mandate?

"I shouldn't have showered with those kids"

As Gawker says about this quote from the Sandusky interview:

Jerry, that is never not true.

Now other victims are coming forward.
Also, read Charles Pierce.

Unbelievable

Another I Know You Are But What Am I moment from our Harper Conservatives -- Tories accuse opposition of hindering agenda:

Mr. Van Loan notes that at the same time as the NDP and Liberals accuse him of shutting down debate with time allocation and closure motions, they are trying to stop any of his bills going forward.

I'm shocked, SHOCKED, that the Opposition would actually oppose what the government is trying to do!

Great line of the day

Joe Scalzi gets to the heart of the Penn State scandal:

...one of the great stories of science fiction is “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas,” which was written by Ursula K. LeGuin. The story posits a fantastic utopian city, where everything is beautiful, with one catch: In order for all this comfort and beauty to exist, one child must be kept in filth and misery. Every citizen of Omelas, when they come of age, is told about that one blameless child being put through hell. And they have a choice: Accept that is the price for their perfect lives in Omelas, or walk away from that paradise, into uncertainty and possibly chaos.
At Pennsylvania State University, a grown man found a blameless child being put through hell. Other grown men learned of it. Each of them had to make their choice, and decide, fundamentally, whether the continuation of their utopia — or at very least the illusion of their utopia — was worth the pain and suffering of that one child. Through their actions, and their inactions, we know the choice they made.

Emphasis mine. H/T Nancy Nall.

Wreck of the Edmumd Fitzgerald

And Dr Grumpy has a few interesting facts about the wreck.

Stupid is as stupid does

Wasn't Rick Perry talking a couple of weeks ago about skipping more debates?
Shoulda oughta done it.

The least of these

Montreal Simon has a wonderful post about the Occupy movement and the challenge of dealing with homelessness:

I can't imagine an Occupy movement that wouldn't welcome the homeless and the marginalized, because how can you build a kinder, gentler, world, if you reject our poorest, most vulnerable citizens? City officials may use them against us, but how can we not embrace them?
I have been moved by the respectful, patient way the other occupiers have treated them. And by the sight of all those most humble of Canadians, speaking to a crowd and telling others how THEY feel, for the first time in their lives.

My friends who spent several nights at Occupy Saskatoon said that one of its most remarkable aspects was how, for the first time, the homeless people at the camp were able to participate in serious and productive conversations about politics and society and the economy. But as Simon says, its takes an enormous amount of energy to deal with these social problems

I can't help wonder whether whether people are becoming too concerned with occupying a physical space, rather than occupying the world of ideas. ... But what do I know eh? I have to admit that this wonderful baby movement has made me unusually humble.

Can I have an Amen, brother!

Disco can save lives! Who knew?

Physician comedian Ken Jeong's CPR video

You can't always get what you want

Conservatives find out they can't use a private members bill to backdoor a retroactive tax on union members unless Parliament approves it first.
Of course, they might still get Parliament to approve it -- after all, the Harper Conservatives do have the endorsement of almost four in ten Canadians, AKA the most massive and overwhelming mandate EVAH!

But at least they would have to admit up front that imposing gratuitous mandatory financial reporting requirements on labour unions is the kind of ideological claptrap that might well result in thousands of people getting charged hundreds of dollars in retroactive taxes.

Great line of the day

Gene Weingarten writes about online journalism and how it makes its money with goofy cat pictures:

“Who, What, When, Where and Why” has now been overtaken by “Huh?”

Would it be wrong to speculate?

Stephen Maher asks why nobody seems to be covering a possible influence-peddling scandal with connections to Harper and the PMO.
Well, perhaps it's because even in his own story, he doesn't get to the point about speculating on possible PMO influence-peddling until paragraph 13. There's all sorts of other juicy stuff in the story, too, about vacations on yachts, jobs with connected construction companies, Revenue Canada officials fired after tax evasion prosecutions, and so on. The PM and his PMO have some 'splainin to do, I think.
And with all the trashing of the CBC that we are hearing from the Harper Conservatives lately, it makes me speculate about what explosive and scandalous news stories Radio Canada just might be working on these days...

Halloween lights

Halloween is the only kids holiday, and in general I think adults should stay out of it and let the kids do it.
But this light show is worth watching.

Ridiculous

Sorry, but regardless of what some professors say and what Quebecor thinks, Toronto mayor Rob Ford looked ridiculous running away from Mary Walsh.

Occupy the wind

From Occupy Saskatoon

Prediction

If the NDP select Brian Topp as their new leader, they will regret it.

This man may be a nice guy and a comfortable supporter of the party status quo who won't challenge or confront other NDP leaders. But he is simply not ready to be the Leader of the Opposition.
Here's his latest blistering attack against Conservatives:

"I think their fiscal policies are feckless. And it is time to say so."

Wow. A real Elmer Fudd moment.
Harper and the Cons will eat him alive.