My helpful tip is a little late, but -- CPAC is carrying the feed from its US counterpart, CSPAN. This means you can watch the convention free from the US network (or Newsworld) nattering heads.
It's also rebroadcasting, e.g. at 6 this morning and again today from 3 to 6 in the afternoon, it's showing last night's events and speeches. (I'd worked all Tuesday night and fell asleep early last night, so got to catch the replay this morning. Woke up too late for Al Sharpton, so have set the VCR to get him this afternoon.)
And now my question:
When was the last time a Canadian politician *had* a military record??
If a Canadian politician had been involved in the Vietnam war on the US side, would anyone even imagine that this could be passed off as a *good* thing??
It's all very complex, of course, and is inextricably connected with the USAmerican fixation on "freedom" -- and thus the easy portrayal of any participation in any military adventure by the US as "defending our country". A country that itself became "free" over 2 centuries ago and where it simply has not been an issue since, whose citizens have been "free", under the constitution they adopted over 2 centuries ago (well, most of 'em) and where it simply has not been an issue since ... and still they make with the jingoistic/militaristic "freedom" discourse/crusade at every opportunity.
You'd almost think they all thought (or somebody wanted 'em to believe) that nobody else in the world was "free" ... or might have moved on to want, and have, a few more things that maybe USAmericans haven't actually got ...
And when was the last time you heard a prayer like that one on Monday night at a Canadian political event? Good grief, the clergywoman in question actually invoked the father, the son and the holy ghost. Yay pluralism and tolerance and equality, eh? But hey, they've got that "freedom" stuff ... who needs pluralism and tolerance and equality ... or health care or ...
Martin actually uttered the words "god bless Canada" at some campaign event, I believe. I was shocked and appalled. That's right-wing crap, and we all know it. Yeah, here we are:
http://www.cbc.ca/canadavotes/analysiscommentary/religionpolitics.htmlMany Canadian Alliance MPs mirrored their church-going constituents in strongly opposing C-23 throughout 2003. It remains to be seen whether the new Conservative Party of Canada will back away from that stance in an attempt to woo moderate voters formerly attached to the Progressive Conservative Party. Leader Stephen Harper, who belongs to a Christian and Missionary Alliance church and often ends his speeches by saying "God bless Canada," opposes same-sex marriage personally but has pledged to allow MPs to side with their consciences in a free vote on the topic.
And ... when was the last time a Canadian politician *had* a wife?? I mean, so's you'd notice.
Imelda Mulroney? Margaret and Maureen were some pretty obvious wives -- but they didn't exactly fit the "wife" mould, and that was kinda the point. And of course there's Olivia Chow, who actually was (and is, and like Shelley Martel - NDP too of course) politician first and wife second.
Can you imagine a Canadian political daughter standing up a convention to extol her mother's virtues (can you even imagine the mother in question being a speaker at a leadership convention??) by saying what wonderful things she was, a lawyer, a coach, a this, a that, but first and foremost (or however she put it),
a mother?? Can you imagine any Canadian political party to the left of the Alliance thinking that this was a *good* thing to say about a woman??
"First ladies". Ew. Sure glad *we* don't have any of that monarchy crap anymore. ;) Well, I mean, we do have John Raulston Saul, but, well, there ya go.
I dunno. Isn't USAmerican politics just a barrel of monkeys, though?