I’m still knee deep in motorcycle bodywork, and don’t have much time for indepth blogging, especially on the very blogworthy Adscam inquiry. To add to the difficulty, the radio station of choice at the bodyshop I “borrow” plays classic rock and nothing else.
Did dig up news story on Chretien’s testimony (which I understand included bragging about his golfballs and pinning blame on the Treasury board and thus, the current prime minister).
According to the Little Godfather From Shawinigan, the Sponsorship Program was a noble [secret] attempt to save [after the fact] the country [and Liberal party coffers] using the proven methodology [theft of tax dollars] of giving away very expensive neckties [to foreigners].
Damian Penny has a summary and nicely reviews the basics of the scandal.
Greg Staples live blogged Chretien.
updated
Damian Brooks take.
I know there are others who have been following this, too – let me know if you have a post of interest … trackbacks welcome, of course.
For a guy who loves to imitate Sgt Schultz, he sure was smart enought to leave public office with a ton of money.Everything this meatball says is a lie.
Those of you who support a triple-E senate or its outright abolishment will be no doubt be touched by the fact that “Senator” Jim Munson, late of CTV News, was there to support “his friend” John Crouton.
Sure the Fibs look after their friends, financially and/or otherwise, while spectacularly screwing the taxpayer, BUT THEY MEAN WELL. What’s not to like for the average Liberal-voting Canadian?
The Heart of the Matter has a long post on this. As I commented on his site. People who declare themselves as being a left or right wing person tend to have a cheerleader concept of politics. I think that Chretien’s appearance and behaviour was typical of him. What he said did nothing to exonerate him. His statement simply underscored the fact that he is a prevaricator who is arrogant and contemptuous of the others. His advisors have obviously told him and arranged his testomony to brazen it out. His arrogance is caused because he is well aware of his own ineptitude and failings. Witness the ” little guy from Shawinigin” act. The affair of the golf balls was not an explanation but a poor comedy act. Like a lot of truly ignorant persons his set of values have a convenient floating characteristic indicating that they are buoyed up on some kind of Quebec Liberal gas.
I saw Tequila Sheila on TVO last night, and she described Crouton’s performance as Muhammad Ali-esque, going on to say in the next breath that “he hit one out of the park.”
I don’t know about you, but I have always thought that Ali’s excellent glove and astute positioning was overshadowed by his prowess with the bat.
This enquiry is meaningless as long as the average Canadian believes that government should be running all of its various taxation and welfare schemes. When you give half of the wealth of the country to a bunch of politicians and bureaucrats, with only vaguely defined goals for spending it, they are certainly going to waste and steal as much of it as they can.
Therefore, if you want public health care, public education, public pensions, transfer payments, employment insurance, subsidized housing, subsidized farms, crown corporations, etc. then please don’t be surprised when you don’t get what you paid for, the money is diverted into the pockets of politicians, and the perpetrators then laugh in your face.