Buckdog

Canadian taxpayers need to know what Crown corporations and other public assets have been placed on the auction block by the Harper Conservatives.

With no details provided in the Budget materials, Jim Flaherty made reference to liquidation of crown assets that were in competition with private sector enterprise. Does that mean that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is up for sale?

We need to know. The Conservatives have a responsibility to tell the owners of Canada's Crown assets exactly what it is that they are proposing.

-Ottawa Sun

"The uncertainty over research funding in Canada left scientists across the country fretting over the future of crucial projects yesterday, and a few wondering if they would relocate their work. While the United States took steps to add billions to research budgets, Adrian Tsang, a molecular geneticist at Concordia University in Montreal, worried that his long-time effort to find a biofuel alternative will be compromised with Genome Canada — the only agency in the country that regularly funds large-scale science — receiving no new money in 2009."
Carolyn Abraham
Globe & Mail
January 30, 2009


Cartoon by kind permission of
Graeme MacKay at mackaycartoons.net

OTTAWA - Human Resources Minister Diane Finley has dismissed criticism about the latest budget's treatment of the unemployed, saying the federal Conservative government has no interest in making it "lucrative" for jobless workers to stay home.
Canada.com

(Ahh ... certain ((but not all)) Liberals should listen up because this is the same Harper government and Harper Budget that you are propping up!)

Diane Finely just couldn't suppress the ideological crap that infests the Conservative Party of Canada (and a segment of Liberal ranks who prop them up).

See, in the rightwingosphere, if you lose your job, you are accused of using the unemployment insurance plan that you paid into to as a 'lucrative' scam to stay home - even though your tax dollars go to bail out banks.

Unbelieveable!! ... (and way to go Iggy!!)

"A senior Canadian government official said Mr. Obama will not be addressing Parliament during what he described as purely a "working visit."
Globe & Mail

New Democrat MP, Libby Davies rose in the House of Commons today and reminded Members that February 19th, the date that President Obama will visit Canada is not a scheduled sitting day for Parliament. Ms. Davies asked Conservative House Leader, Jay Hill, to consider declaring February 19th as a 'special sitting day' of the House in order that President Barack Obama may address Parliament.

Tory MP Jay Hill, brushed the request off and said that all arrangements are being made by the Prime Minister's Office.

One has to wonder, why Steven Harper does not want President Obama to address the Canadian people by speaking in the House of Commons.

American presidents who have addressed Canada's Parliament include: Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.

President George W. Bush was scheduled to address Canada's Parliament, but numerous protests in Ottawa resulted in a shift of his speech to Halifax.

So ... why doesn't Stephen Harper want President Barak Obama to speak to Canada's elected Members of Parliament? Is it because of Harper's ecstatic 'love in' with American Republicans and Bush?

President Barak Obama should be speaking in the Canadian House of Commons on February 19th. Period!

-Halifax Chronicle-Herald has more ...

Back in October, I wrote a post concerning the race to replace Lorne Calvert as leader of the Saskatchewan New Democrats.

First out of the starting block was former Deputy Premier, Dwain Lingenfelter.

The next few months saw a one person race ... not very exciting .... certainly NOT what Saskatchewan New Democrats need if they want to generate some excitement and public interest.

But what is this? We actually have a race now!

President of the Saskatchewan New Democrats, Yens Pederson, has thrown his hat into the ring and by golly ... we have an actual race!

Pedersen is a lawyer living with his family in Regina. He has an interesting background and was elected as president of the Saskatchewan party last year.

Political columnist, Murray Mandryk has provided a good article on Pederson and the race to date. Give it a read.

-Pedersen brings NDP race to life

If you do ... follow me under the name of 'leftdog'. There is someone else on Twitter using 'Buckdog' as their handle - but that's not me.

Probation ....
The Star

Over the 3 years that I have been blogging 'Buckdog', I have been subjected to yammering from Conservatives and right wing Liberals about 'socialism' ... 'free-spending lefties' ... etc, etc.

Back in July, I did two posts that advanced an uncanny prediction of things to come:
-The Myth of 'Fiscal Conservatism'
AND
-If The Free Market System Works So Bloody Well - Why Does The Private Sector Always Seem To Need Billions Of Tax Dollars To Bail The Bastards Out?

Both of these posts were published before the economic meltdown on Wall St / Bay Street last fall. I rest my case!

Regina Leader-Post

Ad Age

I can't even begin to tell you how much I absolutely HATE these things! Keep them away from me! I don't think I have seen anything this stupid since the Mood Ring or the Pet Rock! Aarrrrrgh!!!

In the unregulated financial world of George Bush's America, the FBI have now found another major Wall Street fraud scheme that ripped off hundreds of millions of dollars from unsuspecting investors:

"NEW YORK (Reuters) - Authorities on Monday arrested the chief executive of a private New York financing firm on suspicion of running a purported Ponzi scheme that attracted $400 million in investments, U.S. law enforcement officials said.

Nicholas Cosmo, head of Agape World Inc. on New York's Long Island, was said to provide commercial bridge loans, but was instead operating a traditional Ponzi scheme in which early investors are paid with the money of new clients, officials said."
Reuters

What is particularly funny about this fraudulent scheme is the name of the company - 'Agape'. Agape is a code word for fundamentalist Christians, usually signaling to them that the business is 'christian':
A⋅ga⋅pe
1. the love of God or Christ for humankind.
2. the love of Christians for other persons, corresponding to the love of God for humankind.

American Republicans and Canadian Conservatives generally have full faith in an 'unfettered' free market, capitalist system, where they perceive regulation as a negative. I bet that the thousands of investors who trusted Agape now wish that there had been just a bit more regulatory oversight of this criminal enterprise.

Car manufacturers and dealerships are seeing an unprecedented slowdown in car sales as a result of the current economic downturn. New wehicles are starting to overflow on car lots all over North America.
Reuters

One of my fellow bloggers at New Democrats Online has a great post today ... breaking a story that seems to have been covered up for months!

"Page one of the Calgary Herald delivered a bombshell today – the RCMP raided offices of Alberta Justice, Service Alberta, and Pricewaterhouse Coopers back on July 18, 2008.

The article, written by Edmonton Journal columnist Paula Simons outlines the story:

"The RCMP's aim? To find evidence of who falsified, or caused to have falsified, a misleading government memo that was entered into evidence at an oral public inquiry conducted by the Information and Privacy Commissioner in the spring of 2005. The inquiry was held to determine why Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation delayed releasing controversial government flight logs until three days after the hotly fought 2004 provincial election."
Tiny Perfect Blog

I am not sure that Canadians truly understand what happened in this nation six weeks ago.

The Conservative Party leader, Stephen Harper, attempted to unilaterally break a deal that he previously had agreed to with regard to financing for Canada's federal political parties. Harper's crafty power play to try and cripple his political opponents, blew up in his face and his government teetered on the brink. To save his political ass, he suspended Canada's Parliament, locked its doors and used the best political spin doctors that public money could buy to try and redefine his motives.

The loser in all of this was the people of Canada. We pay the taxes, we pay the bills for the entire operation of democracy in Canada. Yet we have a Prime Minister who is so convinced of the correctness of his position, that democracy became secondary to him. He placed a padlock on the House of Commons and representative democracy flickered out for a moment in this nation.

Even during the excesses of Pierre Trudeau (when he invoked the 'War Measures Act' in 1970 and suspended civil liberties in Canada), the House of Commons continued to sit and the elected representatives of the people still had the ability to question him and to express their concerns for what was happening in the nation. What Steven Harper did by padlocking Parliament, was to completely suppress the elected representatives of the Canadian people from having a voice and from questioning the government.

The padlock comes off today. Our elected representatives once again are able to practice parliamentary democracy in Canada. Members of Parliament can ask questions of the government.

But remember .... for six weeks democracy was denied in Canada. Stephen Harper padlocked the House of Commons. His actions should be held in contempt for the remainder of his political career.

"My understanding of international law is, to be a child soldier, you have to be in an army,"
Prime Minister Stephen Harper

"A child soldier is anyone under 18 who is a member of, or attached to, government armed forces or any other regular or irregular armed force or armed political group, whether or not an armed conflict exists."
The International Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers

"A child soldier as anyone under 18 who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity, including cooks, porters, messengers, and minors forced into marriage or recruited for forced sexual purposes."
UNICEF

Stephen Harper is NOT stupid. Therefore, you must conclude that his unwillingness to deal with Omar Kadhr's situation is based on nothing but near sighted, right wing ideological nastiness!

Canada.com

Even in 'Tory Friendly' Saskatchewan, Harper's government is having trouble convincing people that what they promise is what they deliver:

Watch The Fine Print In Tory Promises
By Murray Mandryk
Regina Leader-Post
January 24, 2009

"So while the Conservatives may very well have an impressively long list of projects, there are legitimate reasons why these projects don't quickly translate into people working. (This has certainly been the case with last year's $240-million federal budget commitment to clean coal technology [for Saskatchewan].)

The even bigger problem, however, is the Conservatives' penchant for not being especially honest in making such promises. The sad track record after three years in government is one of our Saskatchewan Conservative MPs making claims that are either unsubstantiated or untrue or unfulfilled.

Remember the claim on the day of the 2007 federal budget that Saskatchewan was getting $900-million-plus -- more than we would have got from equalization? Or how about Regina-Lumsden-Lake Centre MP Tom Lukiwski's boasts around the time of the 2006 election that, through equalization, this province was owed (and likely to get) something in the neighbourhood of $2 billion?

On Friday, Lukiwski penned a letter to the editor claiming that "Saskatchewan received $635 million through Building Canada in 2008". This must come as a surprise to the normally supportive Premier Brad Wall, who earlier this month compared the Building Canada Fund with Ottawa's Rideau Canal in the winter: both are frozen and don't move.

But Wall has a legitimate point. According to the provincial Municipal Affairs Ministry, while it did budget $185 million from Building Canada, Ottawa (as of Friday) had failed to approve a single dollar. But what about Lukiwski's $635 million, you ask? Well, a federal framework agreement unveiled a plan to provide Saskatchewan with about $635 million for infrastructure projects. But that was over a seven-year period.

This stream of embellishments, half-truths and whole untruths are good reason to be wary of more Conservative promises Tuesday. And we won't get what we need for beef and forestry."
Regina Leader-Post

Canadians are buying alcohol and drinking at record levels since the economy took a nose dive. Alcohol purchases in October were up 17%, year over year.
Canada.com

"Mr. Hillier, the former head of our armed forces, has been quiet lately. He's on the sidelines, writing a book, professing little in the way of political ambition. It is readily agreed that he is politically gifted, possessing a splendid way with words, national name recognition and a leadership aura. Moreover, he has a quality that Mr. Harper has never enjoyed in abundance: charm."
Globe & Mail

"China (Reuters) - A Chinese court on Thursday sentenced two men to death for their role in a tainted milk scandal that killed at least six children, while the woman most widely blamed for the tragedy got life in jail.

Nearly 300,000 children fell ill last year after drinking milk intentionally laced with melamine, a toxic industrial compound that can give a fake positive on protein tests.

The latest in a string of food safety failures that have blighted the "made in China" brand, it was also one of the worst and prompted an outpouring of public anger."
Reuters

-People's China Daily has more ....

The NEW White House Website is up and running.

I have been scanning through some better known 'Right wing / Conservative' blog sites where the historically challenged simply cannot figure out why the Inauguration of President Barack Obama is being so widely celebrated.

Uninformed opinion DOES NOT EQUAL informed opinion.

Historical Mystery of Bush's Presidency
By Robert Parry
January 20, 2009

"Even on Inauguration Day 2009, as most Americans rejoice that Bush’s disastrous presidency is finally heading into the history books, there should be reflection on how this catastrophe could have befallen the United States – and on who else was responsible.

Indeed, it may become one of the great historical mysteries, leaving future scholars to scratch their heads over how a leader with as few qualifications as George W. Bush came to lead the world’s most powerful nation at the start of the 21st century.

How could a significant number of American voters have thought that an enterprise as vast and complicated as the U.S. government could be guided by a person who had failed at nearly every job he ever had, whose principal qualification was that his father, George H.W. Bush, was fondly remembered as having greater personal morality than Bill Clinton?

Why did so many Americans think that a little-traveled, incurious and inarticulate man of privilege could lead the United States in a world of daunting challenges, shifting dangers and sharpening competition?"
Consortium News

At about 11:00 this morning, I was in Regina's Cathedral area when all hell broke out with sirens and firetrucks everywhere.

"A Regina man escaped serious injury when a tanning session went seriously wrong and his tanning bed went up in flames. The incident happened at the Millenium Tanning Salon in downtown Regina." NP

Regina Leader Post

CBC Saskatchewan has more ....

On the last full day of your presidency, allow me to say to you, George Bush ... SCREW YOU!

"Tracing the journey Abraham Lincoln made in February 1861, Obama spoke to throngs in Philadelphia, in Wilmington, Del., and in Baltimore. But he, his wife, Michelle (who was celebrating her 45th birthday), and Vice President-elect Joe Biden looked elated as their train made slow roll-throughs past crowds gathered at other stations along the line, in Claymont, Del., and Edgewater, Md."
Freep.com


CNN has more ...

I spent a big part of today racing from Regina to Saskatoon on treacherous and icy roads, rushing an injured pet to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine Hospital. Due to the possible neurological consequences of the injury, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine was the place my vet suggested I rush to.

Once there, I was dealt with by friendly, compassionate, capable staff and students who took charge of my personal dilemma.

Even though I am a crusty, miserable Left winger, (who whines and bitches a lot) and although my abrasive and sometimes aggressive ways have acquired me many political enemies, I am also a big old softy when it comes to the suffering of a poor dumb creature who depends on me totally for its well being.

Now, even though we are not out of the woods yet with the consequences of this injury and necessary emergency surgery, I want to thank everyone at the U of S Faculty of Veterinary Medicine who came to the rescue for me and my dog today.

Thank you!

'Buying a loaf of bread in Harare'

"HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN)– Zimbabwe’s central bank says it will soon introduce a 100 trillion dollar note as the once prosperous country battles to keep pace with hyperinflation that has caused many to abandon the country’s currency. [...]
The new 100 trillion dollar bill would be worth about $300 in U.S. currency. A loaf of bread in Zimbabwe now costs about 300 billion Zimbabwean dollars — and like most commodities, the price increases every day."
CNN

This is so simple, you have to wonder why the medical profession has never thought of it before!

"A simple operating room checklist, similar to the one pilots use in the cockpit before takeoff, can dramatically reduce major complications in patients and even save lives, according to a just published study. Performing that brief task in eight hospitals in as many countries caused an overall drop in the death rate by more than 40 per cent and major complications by more than a third, according to the New England Journal of Medicine study released online today and in print later this month."
Globe & Mail

A lawsuit against Liberal strategist, Warren Kinsella opened yesterday. There are a number of interesting elements to the story, not the least of which is the time that has elapsed since the incident in question occurred.

In a democracy, where 'freedom of speech' is a right, it must be also be remembered that 'responsibility of speech' is a reality ensured by laws that protect an individual from abusive or inflammatory allegations or comment. In other words, you can say what you want .... but you may have to pay a high financial cost, (not the least of which is expensive legal defense costs), to say it. Sometimes 'free speech' is not free.

Ottawa Citizen

Who says that nothing interesting ever happens in Saskatchewan when it's -30 degrees?

"Two Saskatoon police officers have resigned in the wake of a sex scandal in the department. Four other officers have been disciplined in the case that first became public last month. The incidents involved five male officers and one female officer and took place over the past few months, the police service said."
CBC Saskatchewan

-Regina Leader-Post has more .....

George Bush gave his last news conference as US President this morning. He will step down on January 20th.

-The Political Whore

-Associated Press

-Associated Press

A week or so back, I posted about an incident where thousands and thousands of pieces of footwear ended up mysteriously on a Florida highway. There were so many shoes that traffic was impeded until cleanup could occur. The shoes were gathered by a charity and are now on their way to Haiti for distribution.

The mystery as to how and why the shoes ended up on the roadway remains. There has been much speculation, but officials now believe that it was an innocent accident. No one has come forward because if they do, they will be handed a bill for the cleanup ... and it is a whopper!

Video update

"The federal government appears to have quietly shelved legislation to remove the Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly on the export of Western Canadian barley ..."
Regina Leader-Post

In the hours prior to the announcement that the RCMP was investigating five Conservative Members of Parliament for illegal use of the Canadian Wheat Board voters list, the Harper government announced that it will not proceed with plans to kill the mandate of the Canadian Wheat Board!

Coincidence? ..... I think not! Why? Well, here is what our Prime Minister said last June on the CWB:

"We'll continue to fight in Parliament. We'll continue to fight in the legislature. But the bottom line is this, mark my words, Western Canadian farmers want this freedom and they are going to get it. And anybody who stands in their way is going to get walked over."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Saskatoon - June 20, 2008

It is being reported that four of the five MPs involved in the RCMP investigation are from Saskatchewan. They are David Anderson, Randy Hoback, Andrew Scheer (a Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons) and Ed Komarnicki. The fifth is Kevin Sorenson from Alberta.

During the campaign period for elections to the the Canadian Wheat Board, pamphlets promoting the removal of monopoly powers were circulated to farmers in western Canada by five Conservative MPs. Western farmers overwhelmingly ignored the Tory position and elected Board Members who support the current 'single desk' mandate of the the CWB ... much to the dislike of Stephen Harper's Conservatives.

It is alleged that the recipients of the mail-outs were the same exact same people as appeared on the voters list for the election. Typographical and spelling errors that existed on the master Wheat Board voters list also appeared on the mailing labels used by the five Conservative Members of Parliament.

Suspicions arose, which prompted the investigation, when people outside the constituency of the MPs received the pamphlets.

In the blogosphere, apologists for the Conservative party have already begun a massive 'spin' job arguing that the CWB should have its monopoly mandate struck down.

CBC

RCMP probe allegation that wheat board voter list was improperly accessed

REGINA — RCMP are investigating allegations that Conservative MPs interfered with Canadian Wheat Board director elections, the National Farmers Union said Friday.

The RCMP said in a news release that it's probing complaints from the NFU alleging that a voters list for the wheat board was improperly accessed and used by unauthorized people.

An RCMP spokeswoman would not elaborate, but the union claims Conservative members of Parliament used the voters list to send letters to farmers.

"In the Canadian Wheat Board elections that were run just before Christmas at the end of 2008, five Conservative MPs sent out letters ... telling farmers how to vote and who to vote for," NFU president Stewart Wells said.

"Of course that made farmers in Western Canada very angry."

Wells said that according to the law governing the wheat board, the voters' list is only supposed to be available to candidates in an election.

The farmers union claims that the mailing list used by the MPs was identical to the voters' list.

Wells said none of the explanations offered up as to why there were similarities ring true.

"None of their explanations account for things like typos and company names that are included in these mailing addresses," he said.

"The mailing addresses used by the Conservative MPs includes these typos and these company names that they just really wouldn't have access to any other way."

The letters were sent by one MP from Alberta and four from Saskatchewan, including David Anderson, parliamentary secretary for the Canadian Wheat Board.

They urged farmers to vote for candidates who favour ending the wheat board's grain marketing monopoly.
Canadian Press

(Let's see if the Canadian Taxpayers Federation * will speak out on this one ... )

OTTAWA–The military is looking for more than 2 million rounds of ammunition for Soviet guns, a curious purchase experts say appears destined for the weapons of Afghan soldiers under the charge of the Canadian army in Kandahar.

The Department of National Defence wants to buy more than 1 million bullets compatible with the Afghan National Army's main rifle, the AK-47, which was first designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1947 and adopted by the Soviet military two years later.

The Canadian military is also seeking 600,000 rounds that are compatible with a PK mounted machine gun, another weapon in the Afghan army's arsenal, and 150,000 9mm bullets designed for Soviet-made Makarov and Stechkin pistols, according to documents outlining the proposed purchase.

"We certainly don't use them," Senator Colin Kenny, chair of the Senate committee on defence and national security, said of the ammunition sought. "I could see us making them available to kandaks (Afghan battalions)."
The Star

* - The CTF is a Canadian right wing pro-business lobby! You cannot take out 'membership' in the CTF. They will take your donations, but the Board (whose membership is not publicly disclosed), runs the organization ... there are no public annual general meetings nor published annual reports that are available to the general public. (Note ... I haven't thrown a jab at the CTF for some time now ... so I am due)! ;)

"I wouldn't want the public to think that a sentencing circle was ordered and that this person has somehow escaped what would be an appropriate sentence. The Crown's position is and continues to be that a penitentiary sentence is the only appropriate disposition,"
Don Morgan
Saskatchewan Justice Minister
and Attorney General

I find it extremely inappropriate for the Attorney General to speak out publicly on a matter that is still before the courts in Saskatchewan.

The case against Christopher Pauchay, an aboriginal man who nearly froze to death, and whose small children did die of exposure, has been referred to a traditional sentencing circle. Mr. Pauchay had ventured out of his home one night, with his two small daughters, in -50 degree wind chills. He became separated from the children and all were overcome by the weather conditions.

Mr. Pauchay has pleaded guilty to criminal negligence causing the death of his children, and told the court that he was has an alcohol addiction and was extremely intoxicated when he ventured outside with them.

In view of the guilty plea, the court now needs only to bring down a sentence in the case.

Due to the fact that there was no premeditated 'intent' to cause the death of the children, and in view of the substance abuse health problems that Pauchay acknowledges and wishes to address, the judge in the matter has referred sentencing to an aboriginal 'sentencing circle' of Elders and peers from his Reserve community.

Now for the reality of Saskatchewan life.

Subtle racism exists in the Province of Saskatchewan ... period! It is generally what could be called, 'passive aggressive'. This is the way that an individual will tell you that they are not racist, have nothing against first nations people, and then will spout out the most outrageous racist crap you can imagine.

Many individuals, including Saskatchewan's Minister of Justice, want Mr. Pauchay to be sentenced to at least 2 years incarceration, in order that he does time in a Federal Penitentiary. This opinion reflects the attitude of many who do not want 'rehabilitation' in this case, they want 'punishment'!

I am going to guess that the Justice Minister's office is being inundated with calls from those who don't agree with the Judge ordering use of a traditional aboriginal sentencing circle - hence his inappropriate public comments on the case.

Stay tuned ......

This is a dance devised to The Hockey Song, written by the famous Canadian musician, Stompin'Tom Connor's. It was devised by members of the Village Green Morris Men of Winnipeg, Canada

JANUARY 6--In a bizarre incident that will surely lead to litigation, a skier at Colorado's ritzy Vail resort was left dangling upside down and pantsless from a chairlift last Thursday morning. The January 1 mishap apparently occurred after the male skier, 48, and a child boarded a high-speed lift in Vail's Blue Sky Basin. It appears that the chairlift's fold-down seat was somehow not in the lowered position, which caused the man to partially fall through the resulting gap. His right ski got jammed in the ascending chairlift, and that kept him upended since his boot never dislodged from its binding. As seen in the photos on the following pages (which were snapped by fellow skiers), the Skyline Express lift was stopped shortly after the pair's botched boarding resulted in the man dangling from the lift. The exposed skier was stuck for about 15 minutes before Vail personnel backed the lift up and successfully dislodged the unidentified man from the four-seat chair. In a statement released this afternoon, Vail Resorts, which operates the ski area, reported that the skier was not injured after being "suspended for approximately seven minutes." The press release did not explain how the mishap occurred, only that "the man was caught on the chair."

Article and photos courtesy Smoking Gun ...

The speed with which Stephen Harper stacked the Senate with his supporters is now beginning to show problems ... problems ... problems!

-New Tory senator faces harassment complaint!

-Editorial- Wallin Should Step Aside

-Constitutional problem with Duffy as P.E.I. senator

I was recently approached by two individuals who asked me to withdraw from active competition in the 2008 Blog Awards, specifically in the category of 'Best Canadian Blog'. It was argued with me that I should withdraw and throw my support behind another blogger (someone who is neither a Progressive Blogger nor a Blogging Dipper).

I declined the request.

One of the individuals who asked me to withdraw is misquoting my email exchange with her. In her blogpost she states, "One progressive blogger who declined to participate said, among other things, that we are fostering right-wing style competitiveness. I'm hard pressed to see how bowing out of a race and asking readers to vote for someone else fosters competitiveness."

What I DID write was this:
"I think that we all find the 'freeping' that SDA advocates and
encourages is not a good aspect of the blogosphere. It is much more
popular with Right wing thinkers because:
-it is essentially fairly adolescent ... similar to their
developmental level
-it taps into the highly competitive world view of Right wing
thinking
-it has an element of nastiness that adolescent Right wing thinking
is attracted to.

It is not often seen amongst progressive thinkers because, I
believe, we are more reasoned, seasoned, and objective in our
thinking.

As repulsive as we all find SDA's methods, trying to 'out' freep
them is not, in my opinion, the best strategy.

The fact that kate is not in the category this year, puts her in a
wholly new area for her adolescent minions to freep to their hearts
content. I think Kate will have a hard time giving her blessing to
one of her remaining pals.

Again, I think that trying to do a coalition of progressive
bloggers to one anointed blog competitor, makes us just as
ridiculous as the sda legions.

I encourage you to drop the idea altogether.
Leftdog
Regina"

I am actively in the running for 'Best Canadian Blog' in the 2008 Blog Awards. I want your vote! Voting is underway HERE!

Are these thousands of shoes intended to bid farewell to Geroge W. Bush????

'...thousands of pairs of used shoes mysteriously appeared at 7:42 a.m. on the southbound lanes of the Palmetto Expressway ...'


Shoe Mystery News Update .....

ABC News Video

Florida State officials are still pondering how thousands and thousands of shoes ended up on a stretch of Florida highway - there was no crash, no rollover ... just thousands of abandoned pieces of footwear plugging up the freeway???

More ABC News

Buckdog raises a question about 'Why' ......

"It was only a week ago that Prince Edward was photographed apparently lashing out at his gun dogs with a walking stick.

Yesterday he was shooting again at Sandringham accompanied by the two black labradors - and the same stick.

But this time, interestingly enough, the Prince adopted a rather different approach, patting and cuddling them in a very public show of affection. 'It was as if he wanted to show that he was a proper animal lover ..."
Daily Mail.UK

I like my dogs. I have 2 of them. They drive me crazy sometimes because they are just dumb dogs and make idiotic decisions. I even get mad at them from time to time. But I don't hit them with sticks or other objects. I use my voice and they know when I am pissed off. This royal guy ticked me off because he took it too far with dumb animals who essentially want to please him, but are just too stupid to know how sometimes.

To all of you who visit Buckdog as well as my fellow Blogging Dippers at New Democrats Online and to all those who blog at Progressive Bloggers ... HAPPY NEW YEAR!