Lowell's Grin

Larry O'Brien is a colleague of mine.  I am pleased that charges against him were dismissed.  But the CFRA knives need to be put back into their sheaths.

Lowell Green. the mouth that spews, has begun his conspiracy chatter over the issue.  He wants an investigation to find out why the charges were even filed, by whom and to what end.  His level of gloat over the issue cannot be hidden.

If  Lowell Grin believes that everyone who  is found not-guilty is the victim of malicious prosecution then I wonder if how he would defend... say... OJ Simpson.  Simpson was acquitted.  What do you say Lowell?

Ottawa Citizen - Canwest Media - RIP

The Ottawa Citizen newspaper arrived this morning. Normally I know what time it gets here because I can hear it hit the front door of the house. This morning? Not a clue. Why? The entire paper is about 30 pages long, including the ads!

That is about the same size as an average EMC-News, a free newspaper in our area. Compare that to $22/month for the Citizen! And the content of the Citizen is equally light... and getting lighter. Why?

Welcome to the real world of media concentration and control. As much as everyone's favourite chubby talk-show host, L. Green, likes to point out the the mainstream media is left leaning; the reality is that the majority of newspapers and radio and TV stations are owned by two right-wing companies in Canada. Canwest and CTVglobemedia are the bees knees when it comes to censoring the news and the providing central control over editorials in their empires.

Canwest has got to be the worst. In January of 2008 they imposed a new agreement on freelance journalists who work for them. The salient piece of the agreement, and the one that is causing the CAJ members to burn up the Internet forums, is in the preamble wherein it states, and you have no recourse to this: for a meagre pittance, you can write for us, but we hold the right to alter anything you submit, plus we have the right to use the piece in any publication, print or otherwise, we own, without having to pay you any royalties for further such use.

That has caused many fine journalists and columnists to tell Canwest to take a hike.

Just take a look at what passes for editorial and argument in todays newspaper. Fluff piece on dog ticks, a aged born-again Catholic telling us that his crap don't stink and an over the hill sports guy who still thinks that the Toronto Make-Me-Laffs are in the running for the 2008 Stanley Cup.

Welcome to the 21st Century, where, if information is King, then we are all Surfs.

Smile at a Blogger. He/she may be your best source of news and opinion.

Catching up before Christmas

This is probably my last post before Christmas so I thought I would just comment on a few things in the news.

I decided not to weigh in on the Elmwood School Silver Bells fiasco. I would, however, like to point out something to those progressive persons who believe in inclusiveness. Inclusiveness, the way you go about it, is really exclusiveness. When you change the lyrics of a Christmas song (by the way Mr. L Green of CFRA, Silver Bells is a Christmas song not a Christmas Carol) to make non-Christians feel included, you run the risk of excluding Christians.

Second, there was an article in the Ottawa paper the other day that reported that a neurologist was suspended from practice for a year for calling a rather corpulent patient "fat". I do not condone that type of behaviour but it did remind me of an incident years ago when I worked in a hospital. About 7 PM one weekend evening the emergency department called in a Plastic Surgeon to sew up the wrists of a women who had tried to commit suicide. This was her third slashing and the third time that this particular surgeon had been called away from his dinner and family. He was pissed.

I remember him looking the women straight in the eye and yelling at her to do it right the next time. He showed her the correct technique to get at the artery. While I did not condone his behaviour either, I do know that that women straightened up and became a nurse, working ultimately at that same hospital.

Sometimes a good kick in the ass can be good medicine, too.

Liberal media? Bull feathers!

For years the Cons have been yelling and screaming that there is a liberal media in this country. Even the much-revered, voice of reason (copyright: L Green), L. Green at CFRA constantly spouts off about the commie-pinko mainstream media... those liberal-thinking, cappuccino-sucking, Birkenstock-wearing reporters and media outlets that are not part of CNN or working out of the "Broadcast Mega-Centre of the World (copyright: CFRA)

So why is it that a great majority of the media seem to think that Mulroney's crap does not stink and that Schreiber should not be believed. I would have thought that a liberal media's eye teeth would have been bared trying to go for Mulroney's jugular.

Why, for example, does the Ottawa Citizen buff-boy, Dan Gardner, suggest that the $300,000 cash payment Mulroney received from Schreiber shortly after leaving office and apparently negotiated while still in office is, "greasy and dubious but it barely raises the needle of public significance above zero." Sound liberal to you?

How about the liberal (must be 'cause he is with the CBC) Rex Murphy who asks, "Why are we listening to Schreiber?" Hey Rex, did someone forget to mention the $300,000 to you?

With a few notable exceptions, the media, who ignored this story for years, has rolled out the red carpet for the former Con PM. I hope that he does not disappoint them when he testifies on Thursday at the Commons Ethics Committee. I would hate to see so many pundits simultaneously swallow their chewin' tobacco.

And while we are awaiting Mr. Mulroney's testimony, I have a few questions that the Committee might want to ponder about asking the Great Man (copyright: B Mulroney) For example, "Mr. Mulroney, if you were so hard up for cash at the end of your tenure as PM, why did you not approach any number of companies to sit on their Boards of Directors and have them loan you $300,000?" I bet you that Quebecor would have helped out?

How about asking, "Given your poor state of finances, perhaps a multi-million home in Montreal, with a $600,000 face lift to it, might have been a bit extravagant expense and perhaps you would have been better off to use the $300,000 from Schreiber to put food on the table while living in subsidized housing?"

Better yet, let's get the non-mainstream media to ask the questions. There must one of you that would like to know the answers?

The gnashing of teeth in Ottawa

The gnashing of teeth, ripping out of hair and general cries of anguish are being heard all across Ottawa these days. KarlHans is a pariah, Brian's crap does not stink and Luc is not abandoning a sinking ship... he has time problems.

Lowell Green, the jovial CFRA host, says that he is tired of the whole affair and that it is old news... so drop it and get over it. Seems that most of his brain dead Green Beanies agree. After all, the RCMP found no crime.

Where was this kind of logic from good old Lowell when Gomery was digging in the dirt and not coming up with anything against the Liberals?

Conservatives are a complex beast. The Mulroney Misunderstanding is old news, even though he was awarded $2.1 million of our money after making misleading comments about his relationship with Schreiber. Drop it because it is not important or it's old news? Or is just embarrassing for Cons to find out that they have problems in their camp also?

What do you think, dear Cons, the Mayor Larry bribery allegations are old news and should be dropped also? What about the Air India enquiry... old news? How about the Pickton trial?

OK, maybe Pickton stretches the point but do you get it? Old news is no news is the mantra of the Conservatives only when they are on the receiving end of the stick.

Suck it up lads and ladies. When the Libs are back in power you get to stick it to them again!