Everybody as you were

Today, I am wearing a sweater. It's a bit chilly if you ask me.

So much for all this global warming hoopla. Even Environment Canada and their ever present spokesman, Dave Phillips, has admitted we have had a perfect summer weather-wise.

Toronto has also had very few smog alerts, thereby forcing Jack and Olivia to cancel their photo-op of them donning gas masks for the cameras. Shucks!

To make matters worse, gas prices have fallen to a 5-month low because there have been very few tropical storms to disrupt oil productions. Oh yes, I'll pay my 76 a litre for gas, but I won't like it!

Green Party Leadership Convention

Did you know the leadership convention for the Green Party starts today in Ottawa? Well, let me tell you, I have been counting down the days until today.

This weekend, the Green Party has a real opportunity to set the future direction of the party. I really hope delegates keep in mind what their party is all about and vote for a leadership candidate accordingly.

The Green Party is not a mainstream political party, it was never intended to be one. They are a party which advocates environment-centric policies. So keeping in mind the party will never form government, how can they most effectively influence government public policy?

I would argue it does not involve turning the Green Party into a carbon copy of the NDP, but staying with their strategy that has gotten them to where they are today. A major selling point of the Green Party is their principled environmental policies and not their ability play politics in Ottawa. A great many of Canadians are becoming increasingly concerned about the environment and related health concerns and they want a voice for their concerns.

I guess if I were to summarize my comments, it would be the following:

DON'T VOTE FOR ELIZABETH MAY!!!

Hometown Proud

It's things like this that really drive me around the bend.

Today, the city forcibly removed a man living under the Gairdiner Expressway to prepare for repairs on the elevated roadway because he refused the offer of a subsidized apartment.

What really gets my goat is that an anti-poverty group protested the man's "eviction". Could someone please remind me why forcing a homeless man out of a life of abject poverty by putting a roof over his head is worthy of an angry protest? Is it really so wrong to give a homeless man a home?

On another note, I'd like to thank Brian Neale for all of his hard work on Nealenews. It was a wonderful website that I truly enjoyed visiting.

Historical Revisionism

One of my favourite pet peeves is when journalists take the liberty to reconstruct historical facts. Today, the Mike De Souza of CanWest recalled an incident involving a staffer of Rahim Jaffer.

For those who can't recall what happened: A staffer of Mr. Jaffer booked the MP for a radio interview, but could not reach him in time for the show. Instead of canceling the interview, the staffer took it upon himself to impersonate his boss on the radio show. The "scandal" was Jaffer trying to cover for his staffer by saying it was him in the interview.

Somehow the facts involving this incident has evolved over time. In De Souza's story, he states:

"Jaffer, who was singled out because of an incident several years ago when he allowed an aide to impersonate him on a radio interview, said most of his colleagues in caucus have been very active in the House of Commons and their ridings. "

Mr. Jaffer never allowed his staffer to impersonate him. The reporter could have easily looked it up in Hansard.

Then again, we all have memory lapses. Remember that fascist dictator Jean Chretien?

Who elected Kingsley?

So I realize it's the dog days of summer and most everyone is completely checked out, but I am desperate to know what our Chief Electoral Officer has uncovered!

Perhaps J.P. could ask Liberal HQ to draft up another press release for him? Too bad his son, Justin, isn't working for the Prime Minister anymore. Guess that happens when the Liberals are kicked out of office.