So we stayed up late last night, about 90 minutes past our normal bedtime, watching MSNBC's coverage of the election returns in the states. I find US politics fascinating for a couple of reasons, partly because it's a freak show at times and partly because often times, policies in the US can affect policies in Canada.
For example, I give you marijuana. Well, I'll not actually GIVE you marijuana, I don't smoke it and don't have any to give. Before the "harper government" came into power, marijuana possession had been decriminalized in this country. I personally believe that it should not only be decriminalized but it should be legalized. People use cannabis to treat a huge number of ailments and conditions, including MS, anxiety disorders, migraines and other types of chronic pain. Not many doctors are comfortable signing the necessary paperwork you need to obtain permission to use it legally for medical reasons. Because the Bush 43 government was a strong opponent of pot, the harper government followed suit and revoked the laws which decriminalized marijuana in Canada.
Some of the ultra conservative folks in the states, many of whom were defeated yesterday, want to take away the ability for a woman to make choices about her own health and they sure don't want same sex couples to be able to marry legally. I would hate to see the harper government try to pull the same stunts up here. Times like this make me appreciate the way our government is structured. The multi-party system has forced everyone to work together to get things done.
Things in Canada are by no means perfect, I don't think that any country is "perfect" for that matter. There are always ways which we could help improve things for folks, for young people and old people and people suffering with illnesses and disabilities but overall, I think we get things right more often than not.
Today, to celebrate my Canadian-ness, I'm going to get my free flu shot at our local health unit. Normally, I don't get the flu shot. Last year, I had the flu and it was pretty horrible. Hopefully, I'll avoid that this year by getting shot in the arm. For folks who live here in the Kingston area, the Health Unit has a list of places you can go to get your free shot OR you can book an appointment online and avoid lining up.
Showing posts with label canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label canada. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
Friday, April 29, 2011
Dirty Tricks in Kingston
Our federal election is on Monday. This election, our riding is actually in play and as a result, I have voted (we voted at the advance polls last weekend) strategically rather than the way I would have preferred to.
Things are getting REALLY nasty in our riding and I received the following email tonight about just how nasty it's getting. If you're in the Kingston & the Islands riding, or have friends and relatives here, please share this with them.
Received this tonight via email:
I am writing to warn you about a new and especially dirty political tactic that has already been used to target other Liberal candidates in various parts of Canada and is now being used against the Ted Hsu campaign here in Kingston. Residents are receiving rude phone calls, often in the middle of the night, by people fraudulently claiming to be working for our campaign. This is a classic Republican-style dirty trick that is obviously intended to anger those who would otherwise vote for Ted in the hope of turning them against him and/or discouraging them from voting. People who have been woken up by these calls report that they apparently originate from a call centre in the 701 area code in North Dakota, effectively putting them out of reach of Canadian law.
Kingston police have been notified, Elections Canada is already investigating previous incidents and our campaign co-manager, John Clements, has issued a media release. Since Monday is election day, however, it is likely that too few people will hear the truth about this outrage in time to offset the damage that has already been inflicted, and will likely continue over the weekend.
This is where you can make the difference. By forwarding this message to as many people as possible in your circle, you can enable them to direct their outrage against the perpetrators rather than Ted should they be or have been woken up in the middle of the night by such a call. It is clear that someone is paying this American call centre good money to disrupt Liberal campaigns here in Canada, money that Canadian law would require be declared as an election expense (but I would wager never will). In the absence of hard evidence, I won’t make unfounded accusations but also can’t ignore the obvious fact that it is the Liberal candidates in close Liberal-Conservative races who are being targeted in this way. You can draw your own conclusions.
As Liberals, we believe in democracy and respecting voters. We attack what we see as bad and unfounded policies, not people Sadly, our Conservative opponents have emulated their Republican mentors by importing nasty, divisive and very personal attack policies into Canada, which hurts our country, divides us and distracts from the very real challenges that we should be facing together. The Alicia Gordon campaign’s large attack ad in last Saturday’s Whig is a classic case in point in that it grossly distorts Ted’s positions by compiling out-of-context snippets from serious articles he wrote many years ago in an obvious attempt to mislead enough voters to serve their ends. Such cynical and manipulative tactics have thoroughly poisoned US politics, but are still being used because they fool enough of the people enough of the time. The only way to stop them becoming the norm here in Canada is for enough of us to reject those who employ them in the one way that really counts ... at the ballot box.
This is likely to be a close race and, sadly, the tactics discussed above could make a difference. The reality is that by the end of the day on Monday, either Ted Hsu or Alicia Gordon will be our next Member of Parliament. Now is the time to redouble your efforts to ensure that it’s Ted by getting everyone you know out to vote if they haven’t already done so, and by impressing on them the critical importance of voting for Ted.
Best regards,
Ron Hartling
President, Kingston and the Islands Federal Liberal Association
PS. If you receive one of these calls and have sufficient patience at whatever hour it occurs, I would appreciate your leading the caller on in conversation to elicit as much information as you can about who is calling, what they are representing themselves as and why, take copious notes and send those to me. By compiling more evidence, perhaps we can contribute to putting a stop to them.
Things are getting REALLY nasty in our riding and I received the following email tonight about just how nasty it's getting. If you're in the Kingston & the Islands riding, or have friends and relatives here, please share this with them.
Received this tonight via email:
I am writing to warn you about a new and especially dirty political tactic that has already been used to target other Liberal candidates in various parts of Canada and is now being used against the Ted Hsu campaign here in Kingston. Residents are receiving rude phone calls, often in the middle of the night, by people fraudulently claiming to be working for our campaign. This is a classic Republican-style dirty trick that is obviously intended to anger those who would otherwise vote for Ted in the hope of turning them against him and/or discouraging them from voting. People who have been woken up by these calls report that they apparently originate from a call centre in the 701 area code in North Dakota, effectively putting them out of reach of Canadian law.
Kingston police have been notified, Elections Canada is already investigating previous incidents and our campaign co-manager, John Clements, has issued a media release. Since Monday is election day, however, it is likely that too few people will hear the truth about this outrage in time to offset the damage that has already been inflicted, and will likely continue over the weekend.
This is where you can make the difference. By forwarding this message to as many people as possible in your circle, you can enable them to direct their outrage against the perpetrators rather than Ted should they be or have been woken up in the middle of the night by such a call. It is clear that someone is paying this American call centre good money to disrupt Liberal campaigns here in Canada, money that Canadian law would require be declared as an election expense (but I would wager never will). In the absence of hard evidence, I won’t make unfounded accusations but also can’t ignore the obvious fact that it is the Liberal candidates in close Liberal-Conservative races who are being targeted in this way. You can draw your own conclusions.
As Liberals, we believe in democracy and respecting voters. We attack what we see as bad and unfounded policies, not people Sadly, our Conservative opponents have emulated their Republican mentors by importing nasty, divisive and very personal attack policies into Canada, which hurts our country, divides us and distracts from the very real challenges that we should be facing together. The Alicia Gordon campaign’s large attack ad in last Saturday’s Whig is a classic case in point in that it grossly distorts Ted’s positions by compiling out-of-context snippets from serious articles he wrote many years ago in an obvious attempt to mislead enough voters to serve their ends. Such cynical and manipulative tactics have thoroughly poisoned US politics, but are still being used because they fool enough of the people enough of the time. The only way to stop them becoming the norm here in Canada is for enough of us to reject those who employ them in the one way that really counts ... at the ballot box.
This is likely to be a close race and, sadly, the tactics discussed above could make a difference. The reality is that by the end of the day on Monday, either Ted Hsu or Alicia Gordon will be our next Member of Parliament. Now is the time to redouble your efforts to ensure that it’s Ted by getting everyone you know out to vote if they haven’t already done so, and by impressing on them the critical importance of voting for Ted.
Best regards,
Ron Hartling
President, Kingston and the Islands Federal Liberal Association
PS. If you receive one of these calls and have sufficient patience at whatever hour it occurs, I would appreciate your leading the caller on in conversation to elicit as much information as you can about who is calling, what they are representing themselves as and why, take copious notes and send those to me. By compiling more evidence, perhaps we can contribute to putting a stop to them.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)