I’ll be gone to the wonderful City of Lethbridge until Friday. I’ll think about posting if I get the chance…
Until then, here’s some random stuff to tie you over the daveberta withdrawl…
– Props to Sam for addicting me to another wonderful thing.
– The Daily Canuck is the new blog of the week!
– oh Zidane…
For anyone up for some entertaining rhetoric, feel free to check out the Alberta PC leadership front-runner Jim Dinning‘s “on the issues” page. The page features some extremely rivitng policy statements. Here are some examples of Jim Dinning’s strong vision of leadership…
Jim Dinning on Edmonton:
“I know from the 19 years I lived in and raised my children in Edmonton between 1977 and 1997. I know that Edmonton is uniquely different than the rest of Alberta. Different history. Different geography. Unique spirit. A one-of-a-kind community mindedness.”
Jim Dinning on Voter Apathy/Democratic Reform:
“The best way elected officials can connect with their voters is to deal with the issues that count and show results. People want to see change as a result of their engagement in the political process … real change … not window dressing, not superficial posturing, not sound bites. That’s true whether it’s in provincial, federal, local politics, or in education or health care.”
Jim Dinning on Alberta’s Public Service:
“Alberta needs a public sector that is non-partisan … that’s capable of serving any political party that Albertans choose to put in office. A public sector that gives unbiased advice rather than second guessing what the politicians want to hear. A public sector that understands their job is to put forward the best ideas … the best policy proposals … then implement whatever decision their elected leaders and representatives and boards of governors or directors choose to make.”
Wow, I must say, what innovative and ground-breaking policy statements : Albertans don’t like political window-dressing, Edmonton has different geography than other parts of Alberta, and a non-partisan civil service is a good thing. (calling theses policy statements is stretching it quite a bit)
Rumoured future Team Dinning policy announcements include:
– the colour blue is uniquely different from the colour green. That’s a difference, and that’s unique.
– the FIFA World Cup was in Germany this year, and that’s unique. Different results and unique history.
-the weather in the summer is warmer than in the winter, and that’s uniquely different.
Wow, I’m really glad we have political leaders like Jim Dinning who are talented at pointing out the perfectly obvious…
And Albertans gave this guy four majority governments.
But during this so-called summer of love, Mr. Klein seems to have a bad taste in his mouth.
“There’s an old saying in politics, anyone dumb enough to run for the job is probably too stupid to have it,” he said of the seven people vying to succeed him.
“I often wonder why they want this pressure. Why they want all the media attention. Why they want this,” he added as a crush of reporters closed in around him.
“You get a lot of free dinners, but after that you get sort of tired, especially when you quit drinking and then it’s no fun at all. I don’t know why they would want to do it other than the power and the glory I guess and the free dinners and the very few perks that go along with it.”
After almost 14 years as Premier with some highs (his tenure saw the elimination of the provincial debt) and some lows (his drunken visit to an Edmonton homeless shelter), Mr. Klein reflected on the job he’ll soon be quitting.
“I wake up in the morning and I say ‘Why am I here?’ and it’s because I’m not all there.”
Reporters laughed. His political aids looked aghast.
And he couldn’t be leaving soon enough.
From Inside Higher Education…
It’s hard to be a student leader if you’ve been suspended or expelled. And leaders of the student government at the State University of New York at New Paltz think that’s entirely the point.
The president of the student government and his vice president (himself a former president) were suspended and expelled from the university this month, on charges that they harassed the director of residence life. The students are threatening to sue the university if the punishments are not revoked. But what may separate this incident from most is that the students videotaped the encounter with the residence life director, and the video, which they have posted online, (at WikiPaltz) appears to back their contention that they never endangered the college official.
The dispute started this spring after Justin Holmes and R.J. Partington III were elected president and vice president. Both of them had previously been involved in student government and had criticized the university’s enforcement of drug laws. Many activists at New Paltz are involved in the movement to decriminalize certain drugs and have accused the administration there of enforcing drug laws while ignoring more pressing student safety concerns. Some students went so far this spring as to suggest that students create a militia to protect one another, but most say that they were just trying to make a point about safety priorities and did not literally plan to arm themselves. (The university has said that it has no choice but to enforce drug laws and that it takes safety seriously.)
Read the rest here…
(1000% props to interlocutor for passing on this awesome story)
This June 19 Provincial Court of Alberta decision managed to slip by me.
As some of you know, the Provincial Court deals with most criminal matters, leaving things like fraud and extradition to the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta.
In this case, former Parliamentary Counsel for the Alberta Legislature Michael Ritter asked the Provincial Court to find that his constitutional rights, namely section 8 of the Charter which protects against unreasonable search and seizure, and also section 7 which guarantees the right to life, liberty and security of the person. The event in question was the police seizing his computer, which led to the discovery that he had applied for a Belizean passport under a false name, in contravention of a previous court order.
The judge in his case decided his rights had not been breached, and that all evidence as a result of the computer seizure is admissible as evidence in an eventual trial.
Other interesting parts of the June 19 decision:
-Paragraph 30: the judge noted that Ritter’s company (although he claims not to own the company) Newport has “failed.”
-Paragraph 36: the judge notes that Ritter is “not a lawyer.”
Happy reading!
Check here for the entire Michael Ritter Scandal Chronology
Kind of a recap of the last week…
– The Alberta Liberals scored $1,400 for the Edmonton Youth Emergency Centre this week when they auctioned the Liberal Health Policy book that Premier Klein threw at a 17 year-old legislative page this spring. Also, Liberal leader Kevin Taft is taking the summer to tour Alberta communities.
– I attended Federal NDP Leader Jack Layton‘s BBQ Picnic this week in the federal riding of Edmonton Strathcona. It was well attended, but like most partisan-flavoured political events was overwhelmingly dominated by grey-haired individuals (I think I’m going to write a post about this topic at some point). Among those attending were fellow Edmonton blogger Idealistic Pragmatist, the Alberta NDP caucus, and 2004 Edmonton Strathcona federal candidate Linda Duncan.
This is too bizarre…
Russian blogs and Internet message boards have been awash with chatter since June 28, when Channel One, Russia’s largest broadcaster, showed Mr. Putin strolling past the golden domes and white stone of an Orthodox church inside the Kremlin grounds.
The President paused at a gaggle of tourists, and he seemed struck by the presence of a shy boy.
He grasped the fair-haired child by the arm, squatted in front of him, and asked his name. “Nikita,” the boy answered.
Without further conversation, Mr. Putin quickly pulled up the boy’s white tank-top and planted a kiss on his belly. Then he stood up, and brusquely walked away.
Following Tory Premier Ralph Klein’s ridiculous personal attack on Al Gore:
“I don’t listen to Al Gore in particular because he’s a Democrat. And not only that, he’s about as far left as you can go.”
I was reminded that he had an evening worth of time put aside for another high-profile Democrat with very close ties to Gore in Edmonton last March? He even had pictures taken with him (along with Tory MLA’s Cindy Ady and George VanderBurg) and gave the introduction speech at the Rexall Place.
How likely do you think it is that Klein would be singing a different tune had Gore been allowed to become President after winning the 2000 US Presidential election?
Tory Premier Ralph Klein once again proved to the world that his knowledge of American politics is limited to assumptions and jiggerypokery. Today, Klein called former US Vice-President Al Gore “about as far left as you can go,” which is just plain wrong.
“I don’t know what he proposes the world run on, maybe hot air,” Klein told reporters Tuesday. “I don’t listen to Al Gore in particular because he’s a Democrat. And not only that, he’s about as far left as you can go.
“The simple fact is America needs oil. They need gas. And unless he can find some other source, fine.”
Klein has stirred controversy in the past by rejecting scientific data suggesting industrial pollution is one of the leading causes of global warming.
He has even said global warming trends that occurred millions of years ago may have been caused by “dinosaur farts.”
Not only are Klein’s comments embarrassingly bush-league and uninformed, but they again point out his near complete lack of knowledge about American politics.
I would suggest that Klein, or one of his hundred minions in the Public Affairs Bureau, simply check out the Wikipedia entries on Gore and global warming (source: Internet). Then he might not have to resort to cheap personal attacks when he disagrees with someone – especially when he is supposed to be representing Albertans in foreign capitals.
I’m clearly behind in my Michael Ritter relate posts…. here is a story from the Edmonton Journal on July 1st…
Ritter didn’t breach court order: lawyer
Charles Rusnell, Journal Staff Writer
Published: Saturday, July 01, 2006EDMONTON – Edmonton businessman Michael Ritter made no serious attempt to hide the fact that he changed his name and obtained a Belizean passport under his new name while he awaited an extradition hearing on charges he took part in a $250-million fraud scheme.
This is proof, his lawyer told court Friday, that Ritter did not intend to breach a court-ordered recognizance that he not obtain another passport.
“Mr. Ritter, like Col. Mustard, has left clues all over the place so the police can go around and pick them up,” lawyer Robbie Davidson told court on the final day of Ritter’s trial for breach of recognizance, a charge that carries a penalty of up to two years in jail.The charges against Ritter stem from an October 2003 order. Ritter, Alberta’s former chief parliamentary counsel, had been indicted in the United States for his alleged role in a $250-million US Ponzi scheme, in which money from later investors is used to pay earlier ones. He had been arrested by RCMP on behalf of American authorities.
To gain bail, Ritter signed a recognizance in which he agreed to surrender his passport, not to get another one and not to leave Alberta. The wealthy businessman also put up $100,000 in cash and $150,000 worth of security in his house.
On Friday, Davidson focused much of his summation on Ritter’s interaction with Casey O’Byrne, the lawyer who helped him get out of jail on bail. In earlier testimony, O’Byrne acknowledged helping Ritter get released. He also admitted signing Ritter’s name-change application, but said he didn’t read the document and thought it was for a name change in Canada, not Belize, where Ritter is also a citizen. O’Byrne also conceded his signature appears on Ritter’s passport application, but he insisted he had no recollection of signing the document or discussing it with Ritter.
Davidson argued that O’Byrne knew the terms of Ritter’s recognizance and if there had been a problem with him changing his name and obtaining a new passport, he should have told Ritter.
Crown prosecutor Greg Lepp offered a much different theory to the court. He said Ritter conspired with O’Byrne to get the Belizean passport so he could flee if his extradition became imminent.
Lepp said Ritter did not think he would get caught, and he did only after one of his employees discovered a scanned copy of the Belizean passport on Ritter’s office computer and turned it over to the RCMP.
He noted that when a judge had ordered Ritter to turn in his passports, he surrendered his Canadian passport but did not tell the court about another passport from Belize he held in his own name. He had to turn that passport in to get yet another Belizean passport, this one in the name of Adam d’Orleans.
The judge is expected to issue his ruling sometime in August.
Check out the complete Michael Ritter Chronology…
Our glorious and beloved Premier has been speaking in public again… (from the Vancouver Sun)
Can Canada’s oilsands save the U.S. Republicans from defeat this fall in mid-term congressional elections?
Alberta Premier Ralph Klein thinks so and said as much during a private meeting Wednesday with U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney.
In a bid to persuade Cheney to visit northern Alberta’s oilfields this fall, Klein told him a high-profile trip would help Republicans win votes from Americans worried about buying oil from unstable countries in the Middle East.
Klein’s unusual venture into U.S. election-year politics he called Alberta Canada’s only Republican ”red” province came amid separate appeals for a joint Canada-U.S. energy task force to help accelerate Canadian exports of oil.
”It might be good for American politics, and for the Republican party in the U.S., for the vice-president to visit,” Klein said following a 30-minute meeting with Cheney in his West Wing office at the White House.
”It would be politically wise for him to travel to the oilsands.”
And Cheney’s response?
According to Klein, Cheney ”said that he would try” to reschedule.
Calling Alberta Canada’s “only Republican red province” is flawed in many different ways – calling Alberta Canada’s more conservative province is quite more accurate.
In Michael Adams’ “Fire and Ice: The United States, Canada, and the Myth of Converging Values,” social additude survey’s taken in all of North America’s regions found that attitudes and values held by Albertans were less traditional and more “liberal” than the United States most “liberal” region – New England – suggesting that though Alberta is Canada’s more conservative province it is far from being a “Republican red province.”
I would predict that if (*heaven forbid*) Alberta were an American state, we’d probably float between moderate Republican and Democratic governments (as opposed to the type of hardcore Christian social conservative Republicans documented in Thomas Frank‘s “What’s the Matter with Kansas“).
As for Dick Cheney’s junket to Fort McMurray helping the Republicans in November’s mid-term elections, I don’t think most Americans would even care (not that it’s likely the Democrats will actually take back the Senate in November 2006 – see the Swing State Project).
Here’s somewhat of an Alberta political roundup….
– Kevin Taft‘s Alberta Liberals e-Bay adventure is continuing with the current bid at $1,400 on the Liberal Health Care book that Ralph Klein threw at a Legislative Page. All money raised will go to the Edmonton Emergency Youth Shelter.
– Crazy right-wing Tory backbencher Ted Morton launched his campaign for the Alberta PC leadership this week. In his opening speech, Morton attacked front-runner establishment candidate Jim Dinning – saying that Dinning’s under-30 taxbreak idea will not only:
“bankrupt the province, but it would lead to the kind of top-down policy process that has produced some of the worst public policies since joining caucus — polices like the Interim Metis Harvesting Agreement and the prosperity bonus cheques.”
Morton also thinks that Albertans should be beware of Stephen Harper and his Ottawa Conservatives…
Alberta Tory leadership candidate Ted Morton says he fears Alberta’s wealth will be used to appease Quebec despite the change to a Conservative government at the federal level.
– Speaking of Jim Dinning…. yesterday, he declared he didn’t believe in Private Health Care. Sure, Jim, and in the 1992 PC leadership race you didn’t believe in Ralph Klein either… it still didn’t stop you from being his Finance Minister for 4 years…
– Former Advanced Education Minister Dave Hancock launched his leadership campaign this week with his K-12 platform which includes innovative ideas such as “Government should walk the talk” and “Aggressively attack illicit drug use and sales in and near schools.”
Though Hancock’s policies remain somewhat vague, I do like this one: “Deal with the unfunded liability issue for teachers’ pensions.” But then again, I’d like to know his definition of “deal with.“
American V: A Hundred Highways – 4th of July, 2006.
I am very very looking forward to picking this up on July 4.
“These songs are Johnny’s final statement. They are the truest reflection of the music that was central to his life at the time. This is the music that Johnny wanted us to hear.”
– Rick Rubin
