Apparently, Steve’s got a high opinion of himself

Apparently he does. In between toothpaste investigations, and mountain building (out of the molehill variety), he (Steve Janke, aka the very Angry rat-like thingy) has sussed out Francis Chartrand’s (NDP) candidacy situation.

It’s a long, and frankly boring story of Chartrand’s courtship and apparent jilting by his party, but Janke is on top of it. And has been since, well, forever. The most recent act has to do with what Angry calls the “angry post”, in which Chartrand cries a river about being dropped from the slate.

Why did the angry post keep making a reappearance, and why does it now seem to be a permanent fixture on his blog? Apparently this blog was the reason. Thanks to a reader in Quebec, I’ve been directed to a story in La Presse that was published the day after I revealed that Chartrand’s blog carried two very distinct versions of the events in question . I get the credit for digging up the two posts.

Apparently this blog ruined NDP plans to keep Francis Chartrand under wraps

You see, apparently, Stevio has discovered Google’s website cache. Apparently.

I swear to his Noodly Appendage, Steve needs to get a life.

Ezra, oh Ezra

Ezra, oh Ezra… What is it they say?  Any publicity is good publicity?  But really, whoring yourself out to O’Reilly?

FAUX News?  Really, are you trying to tarnish your good name?  Keep it up, and we’re going to start believing that there’s some sort of ulterior motive.  Like you like the attention, or something.

Look, you were just beginning to gain a modicum of support from us leftist hoards. Mind you, such is usually prefaced by an almost obligatory “I can’t usually stand this Levant fellow, but…”.  With friends like us, it’s hard to tell if you’re ahead in the game.

I wonder if it will be a “low class” kind of affair?

How’s that working for you?

 One of the kicks in the ass that motivated me to begin writing was to give a voice to feelings inspired by the likes of KKKate (with apologies to Canadian Cynic). Feelings akin to the primal screams that I would otherwise subject my wife and kids to.

Here’s just the latest peek at what she’s been up to:

Shorter Antonia Zerbisias, the Toronto Star’s “Living” columnist

“George Bush is forcing Hollywood to put out movies about pregnant girls who don’t get abortions.”

For those not in the know, “shorter this(or that)” is the newfangled way of summarizing an opponent’s obviously inane argument. All the kids are doing it these days. I might actually get sucked into it myself some day.

Some day.

In the meantime, read Zerb. She’s not saying what Kate is saying she’s saying. Not really.

But, just when the hit movie Juno debuted last month, the news about the climbing teen birth rate hit the headlines. Everybody began drawing connections to celeb baby mania and the recent spate of other flicks about unplanned pregnancies (Knocked Up, Waitress, Bella, Quinceañera) that end so cute you want to have morning sickness in your popcorn bag.

That’s because, in Hollywoodland, the pregnancies bring all sorts of wonderful things to the pregnant characters – career boosts, huge inheritances, pie shops, toad-fathers-turned-into-Prince Charmings.

Not so much in real life. Which isn’t surprising. That’s show biz.

But is the entertainment industry so cowed by the religious hordes – or incapable of conceiving a strong woman who chooses not to go to term – that it can’t come up with a script that doesn’t end with a crib?

Maybe not: Not only does the U.S. have the highest teen pregnancy rate in the industrialized world – more than double that of Canada’s – it also makes it harder for women to get abortions.

It’s true, which leads to the cryptic title of this posting: how’s abstenance working for you guys, anyways?

What’s most telling, though, is the quality of Brain Dead Animal’s readership. Here’s a sampling:

Penny says: She [Zerb] is one of the dumbest bimbos in the world. Hands down.

Rednik: IF I see a link to the Star I will not take the bait…it just bumps their hit count to the site which i turn is just a echo chamber for the retarded left.

WL Mackenzie: …how oh how did this demented lefty medusoid ever get a vehicle for her airheaded jibbering??? The fact there is even a “fan” site for this deluded frump speaks badly of the intellect of star readers.

Wimpy Canadian: This dumb bint doesn’t see the elephant. And, of course, it’s all GWB’s fault. Why is she allowed near a writing instrument.

Scooter: Is it just me or does this dishrag look like that bag of cellulite on Pravda’s Air Farce? Lube Goy or whatever the hell her name is.
My god, do you really have to look like that to be a socialist wanker?

Awesome, dude! And none (not one of them) links back to their own site. Is that a Blogger thing? It’s all quite anonymous (not that there’s anything wrong with that). But it would sure be nice to know if any of the commenters are able to put more than a few sentences together beyond a noun, a verb, and an insult.

Me? I’ve thrown almost 600 together without calling anyone an idiot

But I wear to His Noodly Appendage, if I begin getting fan comments like that, I’ll have to reconsider the meaning of life.

And so, back to the issue at hand, which appears to be abortion.  One of the (seemingly) more lucid comments comes from ryan:

Wow, I basically HEARD this entire article on NPR a few weeks ago. Both Juno and Knocked Up were mentioned in that piece as well. And I completely rejected the premise then as I do now.

The reporter responsible for the original incarnation of this story also found it equally inconceivable that any women, in her right mind, who found themselves facing an unwanted pregnancy would have any other option but abortion.

He went on to complain about the lack of time devoted to the discussion of the abortion option in each film. I haven’t seen Juno, but I do know that Knocked Up had scenes that included the male lead’s friend suggesting abortion and the female lead’s mother pretty much demanding one.

Zerbisias seems to think that the plot of these movies are part of some Bush conspiracy or the influence of the evil religious right. Personally, I’m not sure exactly how successful a COMEDY Knocked Up would have been if it ended on the hilarious subject of ABORTION!

Why is it so inconceivable that when faced with such a difficult decision, a women might CHOOSE to keep the child? I thought the abortion rights movement called itself PRO-CHOICE? Apparently to Zerbisias there is only one possible option.

This article and the NPR report both display the main reason that abortion needs to be abolished.

Mankind is simply not qualified to deny the emergence of new life into this world, especially when it so often sights reasons that amount to little more than the limitation of personal inconvenience.

First off, let me acknowledge  how refreshing it is that ryan listens to National Public Radio, and knows how to spell it.  But to his point (“Why is it so inconceivable…”) Zerbisias answers (and I agree) with the sentiment that it ain’t choice if their ain’t no choice.  In fact, the argument has been shifted from “abstinence  only” doesn’t work to “abortion is not a choice”.

To get a sense of how absurd things have become in the U.S. you need only to consider the latest sting carried out in Indiana.

And to get a sense how indolent some of Kate’s readership is, observe that the majority of the commentors who would eliminate a woman’s “right to choose” are men.  Or at the very least, they have masculine sounding tags.

Y’know, for a gang of fools that would label all Muslims with a single broad brush, Kate et al should be worrying about how their are perceived by the likes that support their rantings.

Oh sorry, I bet she’s actually proud to call them friends.

No brainer, indeed

Now, look; I’ve some experience in the field of health care. And when they trained us, a couple of things were made incredibly clear: universal precautions (that means gloves and masks when treating patients) and personal sanitation

I can assure you that I paid considerably less than $16 million to learn that lesson.

Some mild snarkage from one of my favourite Calgary columnists, Don Braid:

Your mother always told you to wash your hands, but I bet she never tried to charge you $16 million for the advice.

The province will spend that astonishing amount to promote “hand hygiene.” Hand washing, to you.

Most amazing of all, the recipients of this advice will be the province’s many thousands of health-care employees. Didn’t they listen to their mothers?

Asked what all that money would buy, Health Minister Dave Hancock shrugged, sort of, and said, “sinks.”

And you thought Alberta hospitals had running water.

No-brainer hand-washing lesson costs taxpayer $16m

This is in response to basic hygiene and cleanliness issues at St. Joseph’s General Hospital in Vegreville. That would be Premier Ed’s riding, in case the irony was lost (or forgotten) on anyone. Instruments not washed, let alone sterilized. Bits of human flesh left about. And all health Minister Dave Hancock can do is shrug, and reiterate the importance of washing your fracking hands?

(Well, that’s not all the report he commissioned said, but the rest of it was equally, slap your forehead obvious.)

What this all demonstrates (and what shall, no doubt, become an ongoing theme in postings here on the Western Leftard) is that “long in tooth” should meean more than merely filing them down from time to time.

Translation: we need to do more than to simply send a message to the ruling classes. We need to overthrow the useless bastards. That, of course, will not happen. Not with our present electoral imbalance, which tends to value rural voters more than urban folk.

Just a little bit more.

The point is this: Hancock and his ministry’s report are merely one more piece of evidence that the ruling Tories have grown complacent. All this time and no universal, province wide standards for keeping things clean? Seven of nine health regions are in a deficit position. Not Stelmach’s own, though. Of course not. In order to come in on budget, the East Central Health Region decided to ration water. Or something.

Does the provincial government deserve to take the hit on this? As long as they continue to treat patients as a cost item, and to underfund health care, then yes they do. In a big way.

I sure hope liberal leader Taylor Taft has a viable plan to deal with that. Could come in handy for the election.

All the kids are doing it

All the kids are doing it, so I figure I should be too. Not that I necessarily care if people read (I do!) or leave comments (I definitely do!!). But I do. And since the only blogging Calgary liberal has beat town, there is the merest of vacuums…

There is so much to rant about, that I feel like I’ve missed all the good stuff. Craig Chandler (your resident religious whack job, here in Calgary), Premier Ed Stalmach’s loss of personality, my Leader’s declaration of war on Pakistan, the multi million dollar missive pleading that we all wash our hands, Ezra Levant’s inquisition … there’s just been so much.

But with an impending elections, both local and abroad, there should be lots of great opportunities to jump on as well. You just have to be optimistic.

CAJess24, Flickr

And so… here I am. The Leftard. A Lieberal. In Cowtopia, of all places, the proud bastion of social cowboy conservatism. And fairly proud of it. But not necessarily proud of everything done under the name. I think you’ll find that when it comes to snark, I’ll not discriminate against (nor hold it against) anyone; I aim to be equal opportunity.

What I shall do (and which I hope will set me apart from some of the rest) is gives kudos to all and sundry (whom I notice) who deserve it. I shall try to balance my negative snark with some positive ass slaps.

No that I’m gay, or anything. (Not that it matters!)

You know, the One Minute Manager: one minute of praise followed by one minute of correction.

Enjoy yourselves, and remember: InterTube safely!