Brian Pallister ( Conservative MP Portage-Lisgar)

So apparently my MP has asked Prime Minister Designate Steven Harper to remove his name from any type of cabinet position in order to leave him the possibility to run as leader of the provincial conservative party. Could he be the next premier of Manitoba?


CJOB News: Pallister Ponders Move to Provincial Tories

(the following is the result of me being extremely upset after listening to a debate between the strategists of the liberal, ndp, and conservative parties. it is written out of pure passion and hatred and may not make sense)

I AM SICK AND TIRED OF LISTENING TO LIBERAL NEGATIVITY! SINCE WHEN ARE CHRISTIAN BELIEFS EXTREME? IT FEELS LIKE OUR COUNTRY HAS BEEN HIJACKED BY EXTREMIST, SOCIALLY PROGRESSIVE PARTIES WHO ARE LIBERALIZING EVERYTHING AS FAST AS THEY CAN WHILE DRAGGING THE CITIZENS ALONG KICKING AND SCREAMING! The Liberals are using Christianity to scare people into voting for their party. Liberals threaten over and over that Stephen Harper is going to ban abortion, yet Stephen Harper has promised that he will not allow any private members bill to be put through the House; the liberals do not accept this. Yet for some reason, it doesn't matter that there are Liberal MP's that are not only Christian, but pro-life, and that there is just as much of a chance that a private member's bill banning abortion is introduced by a liberal mp; the liberals claim this is impossible because Paul Martin will not allow it.......(pause to see the obvious contradiction here).... Tonight during a debate on CPAC the liberal strategist was clearly confronted with the mere ridiculousness of the liberal logic, and yet she flatly denied the fact that she was contradicting herself. If I were to meet a Christian liberal running for parliament today, I would ask them how they could be involved in a party whose leaders, strategists, and influential supporters lambast all Christian views as extremist and as if they are going to destroy our country; I don't know how they can just look past that.

Sympatico MSN Reports on Spice Girl Reunion

The question remains, is the world ready for them to reunite?

So it's about time that Liberal attack-ad spoofs came out; check out this website to see them:

http://www.subliminalparty.com/

So today I went to chapel thinking that I was going to take a break in my busy schedule and worship God. Much to my surprise the chapel service was not that at all, rather, it was a lecture by a visiting professor from Calvin. I find thatjust because the lecture dealt with the role of religion in the study of science didn't mean that it was suitable for chapel. The purpose of chapel is to worship God through song and prayer, not listen to another academic lecture despite it's dealings with religious matters. To think that the administration put this on is absurd; it seems that they thought by quickly having an opening devotion and singing a hymn before the lecture that they could make this into a chapel service. Such an endorsement by the administration leaves me grossly disappointed; don't get me wrong,I have no problem with the lecturer and what he was saying, i just think that there is a time and a place for such lectures, that is, outside of chapel.

According to Uncle John's Second Bathroom Reader, past President George Bush Sr., is quoted as telling a gathering of a Hispanic high school students:

"You don't have to go to college to achieve success. We need the people who do the hard, physical work."

So I just finished seeing the Liberal attack ad here in Ontario. Now maybe I'm not understanding it, but as far as I know, it seems that all it says is, "Stephen Harper=Mike Harris. Mike Harris screwed your province over (i really don't know if this is true)and so Stephen Harper will too." (I think it is because they are both Conservatives or something...I dunno.) Do the Liberals really think that the electorate is stupid enough to fall for this crap?

Riding on the wave of the media's sole agreement that the Conservatives are positioned to become the next government (even the CBC says so), my roomates and I were reveling in such an idea tonight. As I told them how even the likes of Gilles Duceppe were paying more attention to Harper,(clearly due to the increase in Conservative support dans la belle province), Chris jests, "Do you think that the CBC will change their official color from red, to blue, in order to appease a Conservative government?"

???

Tonight I received an email from a friend passsing on this letter that this guy from Alberta wrote. I thought it was pretty striking:

Election 2006

Sorry if I sound like I'm preaching political garbage,
but a year and a half ago enough people thought this way to
cause a minority government. Maybe this time, letters like this
will circulate enough to get more people thinking about it, and we
can get rid of the federal liberals once and for all. It's your
future... Use the power of the internet, and most important, get out
and vote!

Hello! My name is Alan Robberstad. I am a Canadian.
One voter out of millions of Canadian voters.

Paul Martin is no friend of mine.
Liberal governments have not made my life any better.
Liberal governments have made the future worse for my children.


Jean Chretien became Prime Minister many years ago.
Guess who was the Liberal Finance Minister.....Paul Martin...LEST WE FORGET

Since 1993:
(1) My taxes have increased.
(2) My family's share of the national debt has increased.
(3) My personal expenses have increased.
(4) My waiting time to see a doctor has increased.
(5) My concerns for my family's safety have increased.
(6) My costs to educate my children have increased.
(7) Government interference in my life has increased.
(8) My personal debt has increased.
(9) My income has stayed more or less the same.
(10) My savings have decreased.
(11) The buying power of my dollar, in Canada, has decreased.
(12) The value of my dollar, in the U.S., has decreased.
(13) My trust of elected officials has decreased.
(14) My trust in the justice system has decreased.
(15) My trust in the immigration system has decreased.
(16) My hope that a Liberal won't waste my tax dollars has decreased.
(17) My dreams for a better future for my kids, in Canada,
have disappeared.

That is my story since the Liberals came to power.

I am not voting for Paul Martin's Liberals.
I am voting against Paul Martin and his Liberal Party

I am voting for Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party. Do I like the
Conservatives?

Not particularly......I don't really like Politics.
I am not political by nature.
I am not passionate about politics.
I am a middle age guy (48).
I live in a small house on a fairly quiet street in Edmonton.
I have a wife, Kathy, and two children (ages 19 and 17).
I have no pets.
I am a middle class man.
I don't usually say too much.

Until now.

Now I am going to say something!

In 35 of the past 37 years, Canada has been ruled by:
(1) Pierre Trudeau - a multi-millionaire lawyer from Quebec.
(2) Brian Mulroney - a multi-millionaire lawyer from Quebec.
(3) Jean Chretien - a multi-millionaire lawyer from Quebec.
(4) And now we are going to vote for Paul Martin???? - a multi-millionaire
lawyer from Quebec???

The leader of the Conservative party, Stephen Harper, is:
(1) Not a lawyer.
(2) Not a multi-millionaire.
(3) Not from Quebec.

Stephen Harper says that the Conservative party will:
(1) Reduce my taxes.
(2) Pay off the national debt as fast as they can.
(3) Shrink the size and influence of the federal government.

That's good enough for me.
I'm going to give the Conservative party a chance with my vote.

But wait!
Paul Martinis now saying the same thing.
My mother told me forty years ago:
"Fool me once - shame on you. Fool me twice - shame on me!"
The Liberals have had 34 years to be financially responsible.
Remember, Jean Chretien was Trudeau's Finance Minister.
Remember also, Paul Martin was Jean Chretien's Finance Minister.

These people have been raising my taxes for thirty four years!
They have been mis-spending my tax dollars for 34 years.

34 years!

And now Paul Martin says he'll stop taxing and spending.
No way.

Thank you for reading my story so far!

Why am I telling my story to you?
Although I feel alone, I know that I am not alone.
Your story may be similar to mine.
And you may also feel alone.
One small voter in the midst of millions of voters.

What can you and I do together to change things?

Here is my idea:
Lets you and I join up together.
Just you and I.
Together.
As a small team of two.

How can you and I fight a huge political machine?

You and I have two things that we can use:
(1) Our individual personal connections.
(2) The Internet.

The Internet is supposed to be this global zing tool, right?
Let's put it to use.

I have 27 Canadians in my personal e-mail address book.
I am sending this e-mail to each of them.

I'm asking you! to do two things:
(1) Forward this e-mail to every Canadian in your own address book.
(2) Vote against Paul Martin and the Liberal Party

Vote for the Conservative candidate in your riding.

I have probably written this e-mail too late.
As I said I am not politically adroit.
I feel like Peter Finch, in the 1976 movie "Network",when he shouted:
"I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

Please, forward the e-mail RIGHT NOW!!

As I type these last few words the voting begins in less than 18 days.
432 hours till voting begins.
I hope the Internet is as fast as some people claim it is.

This may not work.
This e-mail may "fizzle out" and go nowhere.
But you and I will have tried, won't we have?

My best wishes to you.
My best wishes to Canadians everywhere.

My thanks to David Stokes from Toronto
He actually wrote this just (5) days before the last federal election in 2000.

"Fool me once - shame on you. Fool me twice - shame on me!"

Alan Robberstad
Edmonton, Alberta

Tell me what you think.

Is it me, or are the political parties only addressing one aspect of the problem of gun violence in Canada? About a week ago, Paul Martin addressed the people of TOronto claiming that those who shot the innocent 15 year-old girl in Toronto were marginalized people; those who were neglected by Canada. Stephen Harper has touted tougher prison times and sentances to make sure that criminals actually serve time for their crime. To me, both of these views are erroneous in that they do not realize that gun violence is a culmination of many factors.

First of all, many of these gun crimes we have seen in Toronto and Vancouver have been committed by immigrants who have moved into the country. When immigrating, it is not uncommon for immigrants to take their culture with them, including their cultures of violence of their home country (just look at the number of annual murders in Jamaica for its population). Now I am not saying we should ban all immigrants, as they are what make our country so good and so rich in culture, but a more in-depth screening of people entering our country could help weed out some of these terrorists that have been shooting each other on the streets.

Second of all, tougher sentancing is a must. Here I would have to agree with Stephen Harper that tougher sentancing is needed, and criminals must actually serve those sentances. Today, a murderer gets nothing more than a slap on the wrist for his/her crime. The Conservatives suggest making minimum sentances for gun crimes; I myself think they should go one stop further. Killing another human is pretty much the worst crimes/sin that one can commit against another person. God commanded murderers to be put to death, as one human does not have the write to kill another human which GOd has created (with certain exceptions of course, ie. the government may, wars, etc.). Because of this, I think that we should make the punishment for murder far more severe than any party is suggesting; maybe even a little ridiculous in its length i.e. 20 years minimum sentance with no possbility of parole. In this way we can keep the thugs on the streets (who don't care about what the government says) in jail, while deterring youths from getting involved in gangs via the punishments involved if implicated. I think that the government has forgotten the fact that law carries a pedagogical aspect to it, that is to teach people what is right, and prevent them from doing wrong. With harsher sentancing, I think we could help further solve the problem of gun violence in Canada.

Thirdly, social and after-school programs are needed to keep the children "off the street". I would have to agree with Paul Martin to some degree that some families and children from our poorest neighbourhoods are neglected; I have seen it first hand in Hamilton. After-school programs do wonders with children; having a place to go to where a kid can be him/herself while not having to worry about their parents or other siblings is desperately wanted by them. Inside, many of these kids are crying for help, and as much as they hit you, call you names, or get into trouble during these programs, you know inside that they secretely love being there; it is the highlight of their day and week. Maybe society has let them down in some sense and by increasing after-school programs for young teenagers (while also giving a place to go for older kids) we may be able to further prevent them from becoming involved in gangs.

By taking the above hollistic approach to solving the problem of gun violence in Canada, I think we can make a real difference. As it stands, all political parties seem to only grasp one or two aspects of it, therefore decreasing the chances that their specific solutions are going to solve the problem. Until they recognize this, I do not think we are going to see any decrease in the amount of gun violence in Toronto and the Rest of Canada; it seems like the gun violence will all the more become more frequent on our streets.

So I officially have been home for a little over one week. It has been a good time; full of painting, reading, sleeping, and hanging out with the family. anyways, over the past week i have learnt a number of things about myself:

1. I am allergic to the town water, or axe body wash soap.
2. My half-hearted, semi-annual measurements have revealed that my wrist has grown in thickness over the past 6 months...i no longer can close my fingers around it.
3. I like painting; i spent four days painting and priming a 1000 sq ft. apartment.
4. Those four days of painting have revealed to me that i am very much out of shape. i could barely walk yesterday.
5. i actually like dogs.
6. by shaving off my facial hair, and spiking my head hair, i can look three years younger in 10 minutes.
7. Record for holding my breath underwater in the hottub: 1 minute 34 seconds; record which my little brother holds: 56 seconds.

Anyways, as i have about a week left here, im sure it will be fun. i wish you all God's blessing in 2006. take it easy, peace.