From your article, I fail to see the connections. He would not give condolences. Check. He said there was two sides to the Arafat story. Check. Then he included a story written by David Frum. It does seem clear that at no time does Day say: "Because Arafat had AIDS, he deserves no sympathy." You also make the claim "Clearly, for both these men, anyone who dies of AIDS is to be shunned, not only while they are alive but even after they are dead." Does David Frum say this in his article? Does Stockwell? That is a heavy charge to level. In todcay's climate, it's akin to calling someone a racist. I would caution against doing this without firm evidence.

That's the Conservative party line alright, Joseph. I don't think it's convincing anyone, unless you're trying to say that Stockwell Day isn't a heartless judgmental fundamentalist, just incredibly stupid and politically naive.

Joseph it's a very heavy charge by Frum to insinuate Arafat may have died from AIDS, and it's reprehensible for Doris to have included an unfounded rumour in his email.

Joseph, here's Doris's email, quoted in full in the Sherbrooke Record, Nov. 23, 2004: "Colleagues, some of you have asked why I have not released a statement of condolence or sympathy. As you know, there are two sides to the Arafat story. One side has been amply played out in Canada's national media. Here is the other side. You pick. Regards, Stock." "The other side" is an article by Frum from Frontpagemag.com from November 4. Here's what Frum said: "Consider just this one fact: the world media's astonishing lack of curiosity about the nature of the disease for which he has sought treatment in France. He has suffered a dramatic weight loss, memory loss and periods of disorientation, loss of muscle control and recurring nausea. His doctors tell us that his blood platelet count has dropped dramatically, but that he does not have leukemia. These symptoms sound remarkably AIDS-like, don't they? An AIDS diagnosis would certainly accord with what is widely known about Arafat's personal way of life. (Some of the lurid, homoerotic details can be found in the memoirs of Lt.-Gen. Ion Pacepa, former head of Romanian intelligence under Nicolae Ceausescu. See page 36.) And yet, even as the international media reports on Arafat's condition with the kind of attention normally reserved for ailing popes, unwelcome possibilities like an AIDS diagnosis go unmentioned. Thus Arafat's number one reason for confidence: his command of the world press. Israel may win battle after battle on the ground, but it is losing the battle for global public opinion outside the United States. From the silence concealing Arafat's own personal corruption to the suppression of unwanted images like those of Palestinians celebrating on 9/11, Arafat has cajoled and intimidated much of the world media into covering the Middle East as he wishes it covered."

Stockwell Day is the only person I know who's very presence throws doubt all over Darwin's theory.

Re Arafat, and one day for Day, I can only quote: "I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with a lot of pleasure." — Clarence Darrow. Or as Enoch Powell once said, "All political lives end in failure."

And Frum is a moron for saying Arafat cojoled the media into covering the Middle East the way he wished it to be coverd. You mean to tell me the Aspers were playing along with Arafat's wishes and we were getting only the Palestinian perspective here in Canada? And to think I thought it was the other way around. How dumb of me!

I wouldn't have believed this if I hadn't read this "news" tucked away on the corner of a Canwest paper. The only thing that amazed me more was the fact that Day knows of email. I used to think we had a decent educational system - where basic facts were made known to even the most hard of learning folks who eventually take up their cause for - as Chretien had christened -the CRAP politicos. Is calling Frum an "intellectual mentor" not an outright oxymoron? (with or without the oxy). Forget about the fact the mentioned symptoms are ubiquitous for a host of diseases - even poisoning - but to publicly exhibit his blatant ignorance and stupidity is definitely counter-evolutionary - and even Adam would need more proof - perhaps by DNA sampling - that either Day or Frum be of his proginy.

Well, it does seem pretty sleazy of Frum to speculate that Arafat had AIDS and that this was his "personal corruption" as opposed to, say, his mysterious handling of monies that passed through the PLO or involvement/knowledge of terrorist acts. And I gotta say, it _does_ look as if Stock was passing this reason along in his email (thanks TruthJunkie!). Sad to say, I expect better from people.

Well, Joseph, if everything in this world was black and white, if our leaders didn't corrupt themselves by backing dictators, pursuing untenable foreign policies and contributing to hellish conditions for most of the people on this planet, I would say you had a point about boycotting the funeral of someone who backed terrorism. I just can't think of anyone who hasn't.

I recall reading about this and shaking my head. Now I can shake my head again and send this article to Pierre Pettigrew, Alexa McDonough and Claude Bachand. Of course, they may already know about this , and hopefully they're shaking their heads and calling for Stockwell Day to resign. http://disemboweledbyweasels.blogspot.com/

I am very impressed by how much more credibility Mr.Day has over all the other wimpish world leaders who even made a comment of sympathy towards this murdere and terrorist that has ripped off his own people and spread fear in the Middle East. We need more people with the moral backbone not to comment one way or the other on this monters death. Good going.Keep up the good work.

Find, Doris did not have to say anything either way if he did not. The problem is he sent out an email that implied he believed Frum's assertion that Arafat died of AID's. Until Frum can come up with direct evidence he should keep his mouth shut and Doris would be wise to do the same. What do people of the Okanagan see in this fool? Can anyone in the Okanagan answer this for me?

Ron Erwin - it was Arafat and not Bush who passed away - so Mr. Day's antipathy is a distasteful reflection for those who he represents.

If Day wasn't implying that he shouldn't give condolences becuase Arafat might have died from AIDS then there is a simple fix. He should come out and SAY so. His silence says a lot.

Who gives a flying fart what Day says. This is just another sorry-ass publicity stunt. Let him sink into his mud-flats and fossilize.

KWL You asked what do people from the okanagan see in stockwell, well, if you spend some time in Peachland, in short order you should have your answer, eg on hwy 97 there is an over head sign for well coming the tourist to the Okanagan and Similkameen Valley the Peach Landers have taken it upon themselves to send the language police out to strike the words SIMILKAMEEN VALLEY from this Provinical hwy. sign. Why? Because they consider themselves the superior okanagans, and they are very adamant that they will not be confused with the Similkameen valley in any way,shape, manner or sign. what does this have to do with Stockwell? Well this is stocks neighbour and neighbour hood. Possibly their all joined at the hip.

Thanks to Murray Dobbin for reminding us that Stockwell Day (insignificant little fart that he is, in real life) is still one of the most dangerous elements in today's society. I used to fear a world in which "Doris" could become the Canadian Prime Minister at the same time as George W. Bush became U.S. President ... !!

You got me, BC Mary. You're absolutely right about thanking Dobbin for the article and I agree wholeheartedly with your reasons. What a shame that anyone's time and attention had to be used to show this man's crap for what it is!

Yes....do not all those symptoms also occur when a human being is dying of 'old age' or does death always have to be attributed to 'heart attack'..'Leukemia'..'ALS'..etc. This was surely an old man who has over the years had health problems.....David From is a shame and curse on all Canadians....and I loath to give advice to Stephen Harper to slap this MP around to save his party from any credulity....I prefer actually that Stockwell and other MP's put their 'foot in their mouth' so they (expose) themselves .

I find Murray Dobbin's article disheartenting because he is long on innuendo and short on specific examples to back up his accusations. I expected more substance and less unsubstantiated opinions. Credibility seems to be an issue here.

Shirin validates this 'news' by noticing it 'tucked away' on a corner of a "Canwest" newspaper...And said newspaper would certainly check 'the truth' of the source...No?...so it is not 'long on innuendo'...And so it becomes 'credible'....Yes?...And sincerely, thanks for english lesson but I am glad you perceived my meaning.

p.s. Stockwell Day's shameful comments not only aligns constituents but also alienates them.

KWL, I lived in Red Deer when Day was an MLA there. He was a clearly a fool even then. When Lorne Goddard sued him for libel, Day spent $750,000 on lawyers fees to defend against a $50,000 claim! He didn't care: he was billing it to the taxpayers. Political rumour in Alberta had it that Klein backed Day for the Alliance leadership just to get rid of him because he was becoming too much of an ebarrassment to his government. I don't know what the people in the Okanogan see in Day, but I can tell you what many people in Red Deer see in him: They agree with his views. It's as simple and scary as that.

Stephanie, you are right about Klein's intent. But can you blame him? The sad thing for all of us is Stockwell now has some access to the international stage as foreign affairs critic and so the whole world gets to see what whackos we Canadians pick to clarify where we should stand on world affairs and events. Just wait for Fox News to find this Canuckistani politician.

I'm not as tall as I used to be. sixty-six years have worn me down somewhat. When I was a tall woman I began to notice that LITTLE men had an obsessive need to "fill space"...somewhat like bantam roosters, who are always ready to fight anything, even their own reflections in a water trough. I guess the thing about Doris which amazes and baffles me is..how did this unmitigated twerp ever manage to CON so many of hte voting public? Or is this just a case in point of the "bunch'em" theory. On Vancouver Island we have long held that the best thing to do with absolute barking mad ravers is to elect them, send them to Ottawa and "bunch'em" in the hope that we'll find a way to neutralize them. Surely somewhere in that absolute arsenal of chemical wierdness manufactured by Dow, 3-M, etc., there should be something we can use... oh, well, at least he makes enough noise we'll know where to find him. Really makes me wonder about the "nature or nurture" debate...was he born determinedly ignorant or was there a traumatic childhood, or perhaps his first girl-friend spurned him or...??? Or maybe it's just that his underwear is too tight. // I'm sure it will surprise any who happen to read this, but it's raining in Tahsis today. Significant rain, in fact. And Grandma is on babysitting duty, sharing the day with Emily, who is two and a half and so pleased with herself because she is potty-trained now. She tells me she likes the rain. Because her dad told her it washes the faces of the flowers and makes sure all the fishies get a drink. She is eating grapefruit sections and has a small bowl of sugar in which she dips them. She says This is SO good, grandma, then asks Would you like to share wiv me? She makes so much sense; and doesn't that just add to the puzzle about Doris? How can a grown man make less sense than a baby girl?

We are surprised by Stockboys comments because why?

Stephanie sad to say but the people voting for doris are albertans retiring here in droves and bringing their weirdo politicians with them!

Doris appears to have some clout with the David Black chain of papers. The editor of Kamloops This Week tore a strip off the Okanagan MP for his extremely dumb anti-Arafat statments and his somewhat dubious record in Ottawa and in his riding late last week. I would have assumed after reading that Doris dagger, that the MP would try to make a few amends for his less than stellar record in the house and on his personal water craft, but no. I opened yesterday's freebie This Week to see a rather large guest article lauding the efforts of the former Alliance leader and convicted libeler. Yup it was by none other than Stockwell Day. Most people have a hard time geting a letter to the editor into This Week without it being screwed up by some unhelpful editor who wants to re-write a finished product. Yet Stockwell, who neither lives or represents people in this area is given enough space to make local politicians jealous. I wonder, did that column get passed to David Black before being ordered into the next available publication?

Allan, as an editor in David Black's group I can tell you that you have no idea what you are talking about. No, he doesn't intervene in editorial, despite what the CBC, Murray Dobbin or other leftist fantasy factories may tell you. The problem with the city media spin on Day's comments regarding Arafat is that it was inaccurate. You'd think that somebody in this pathetic thread would have acknowledged David Frum's own rebuttal in the Post, in which he demolished the CP "hit piece" on Day that started all this nonsense. But no, you'd rather buy the "Day hates gays" bullshit, because it's something you can comprehend. What Gord Kurenoff at KTW did was print a rebuttal to a critical article. If your letters aren't getting in, maybe it's a quality issue.

Allan quickly tell him about the "speeding train" through Salmon Arm 30 years ago, maybe it will get you back in Tom's favour, obviously your regular bull shit isn't cutting it with him.

Tom Fletcher, I read Gord Kurenoff's article in last Friday's Kamloops This Week in which Kurenoff used about 18 column inches to dump all over your friend Stockwell Day. Now Kurenoff, who I have probably known far longer than you have (he's a good writer and can spin a sports story as good as any, but I think even he will admit his forte is certainly not politics), did print a rebuttal, (if that is what you call it), but only an idiot or an editor employed by David Black would be dumb enough to call that a rebuttal of a critical article. Tom, wake up. Kamloops This Week simply doesn't do critical articles. In fact, it churns out pap on a three-times a week basis in which advertisers are profiled as civic leaders, reporters think 'investigate' is something you attach to a fence and opinion polls, where the feelings of six readers are tallied and then given two inch headlines. As for letters to the editor at that fine paper, I notice several in today's edition from people hundreds and even thousands of kilometres away that were e-mailed in and get immediate play while letters on local issues are ignored. Both of those e-mailed letters were reactionary anti-gay diatribes blaming our radical left wing Supreme Court of Canada judges for approving same-sex marriages. So perhaps you got your anti-gay heros mixed up Tom. Of course those far flung e-mails just happen to coincide with the usual right-wing views promoted by David Black's lackies. Let's face it Tom, while your wrap-arounds for retail fliers, unabashedly champion the extremes of capitalism, you still have to give your products away. Why? Because people just can't live without it? Tom, the reality is Gord Kurenoff wrote a column criticising Day and in the very next edition Day, like those other far flung letter writers, managed to get a lot more space than politicians who actually represent Kamloops area voters ever get. That is some accompishment given that KTW is giving Kamloops North MLA Keven Krueger and Kamloops MLA Claude Richmond positive articles and photos in every edition in a lead up to the May 2005 vote. And speaking of Krueger, I am under the impression that he too gets special treatment and a rebuttal in KTW any time a reporter writes anthing he doesn't like. I realize that doesn't happen as often lately, but then that's not surprising as most of those reporters with built-in bullshit sensors have been encouraged to find other employment. But back to Day, I have the article in front of me right now. The headline "Give credit where due (Wed. Dec 8, page 20), fills more than half a page or about 35 column inches. Why Tom? And BTW, it wasn't Day's gay-bashing that was criticised, but rather his Palistinian bashing and perhaps his inane press conference on a personal water craft. You will remember that when he told national journalists that he was going to change how Ottawa does things. What ever happened to those changes Tom? But, despite your "bullshit" that he was responding to a critical article, Day blathered on lauding George Bush, Stephen Harper, even coming out in support of Bush's illegal wars. Nowhere did he rebut anything about gays or about his less than stellar approach to a balanced appreciation of what is taking place between Israelis and Palistinians. Finally, that you would cite either David Frum or the Post as sources of rational thought only confirms your bullish behaviour. Please next time you try to accuse me of bullshit, take a whiff of the stuff your company is spreading. ***Note for C-gull, I think it was you who used the "speeding train" comment in trying to dump on Pierre Trudeau, wasn't it? As I informed you, trains don't "speed" through Salmon Arm. Frankly I think he was justified in giving you and other rednecks the finger. And your wrong as well about the date. It was only 20 years ago. You've obviously been reading too many David Black publications

Hello. I read your article about Day and Frum. I don't put much stock in a guy who doesn't know dinosars disappeared 65 million years ago. Also David Frum couldn't possibly believe most of the stuff he writes. Regarding Arafat and Aids. It might be true. I personally say so what, although I realize it would be a bomb-shell to most Moslems and a godsend to frumianism. Incidentlally I am trying to foist the word "frumianism" into greater usage because I sincerely believe that it represents a certain kind of dishonest journalism that seems to have risen lately, mostly in the CanWest papers and such media as Fox News. I love Tyee. I once loved the Sun and Province, but now due to the Aspers taking such a hands-on approach, it's no longer possible to take much of their writers very seriously. Imagine Fulford claiming Chomsky was friendly to the Pol Pot regime. I wish you guys could come out with a print newspaper to rival the Aspers' Sun, Post and Province. All the best, Truman Green

It says a lot about the Conservative party and Stephen Harper, that they would choose Doris as their foreign affairs critic. This mish-mash coalition still doesn't have it together, not in the slightest. What a bitter slam, the co-option of the title Conservative must be to real conservatives like David Orchard. And BCMary, I loved your comment.

I was "steered" to this post by regular readers, saying they noticed my name. Thanks to "Allan" for spelling it write! You can read my column at www.kamloopsthisweek.com under the opinion button. For the record, all I said about Mr. Day was that he should have either consulted a spin doctor to find the right words to address Arafat's death, or say nothing. To attach an e-mail from a self-described Conservative commentator, who also calls himself a journalist, and to spread "rumours" of AIDS, isn't cool. And, as for calling the news and views included in David Black's papers "pap," that's unfortunate. As for knowing nothing about politics, well, send me to the back of the store! If you're going to debate with facts, come to the forum with enough of them to at least be taken seriously. Gotta go "spin some sports stories." I think my critic's mother was the strongest in her family . . . from raising dumbbells!

I live in Logan Lake (Stockwell Day's riding) and actually deliver Kamloops This Week to my Logan Lake neighbours. I think Allan should know that Logan Lake is in the newly-realigned Coquihalla federal riding. Stockwell Day's column last week was called a Guest Shot and wasn't a rebuttal. And my neighbours certainly don't complain about getting a free paper. What does Allan do for a living that makes him an expert on everything?

Gord Kurenoff, is the entire Newspaper Group editorial end now reading The Tyee for news? Hey, there's hope yet perhaps. You are correct in what you wrote about your column, although there were enough nuances and and add on to lengthen it quite a bit. You have noted at least once in a column at KTW that politics isn't your strong suit. Now, as for facts, I think I brought more than enough of them to the forum. Perhaps it's you and Tom who don't see the facts simply because you don't want to discuss things such as the fact politics come into play in Newspaper Group publications as I noted several times above. In fact, David Black had an edict against running anything that might favour the NDP a few years back. Caused quite a bit of noise about unhealthy relationships between politicians and the media if I remember correctly. Some politicans just seem to be smiling out of each edition in some papers, I could go on, but I'm not blaming either of you for the political direction set further up the chain where money is donated to politicians. ***Now Deb, I confess I had forgotten Logan Lake was now in Stockyard's riding and yes, I guess a few hundred papers do go up there for locals to read. But you know how you said Stockboy's column wasn't a rebuttal? Well Gord's buddy Tom Fletcher, the editor of the Maple Ridge News insisted it was a rebuttal. He got real huffy, told me I didn't have any idea what I was talking about, he swore there was a "critical article" in the paper and then later he swore at me. Can you imagine - a "critical article" in KTW. Anyway Deb, I'm with you on this. I don't think it was a rebuttal either. I mean it didn't refer to anything stated prior in KTW, but blathered on praising a war crimes suspect and a few of his cronies. Hey Deb, maybe you should call David Black and explain how you could correctly identify a "Guest Shot" yet the editor of the Maple Ridge paper missed it by a bit with his "rebuttal" theory. Ever think of being an editor?

Have to interrupt with something off-topic. Pinochet's just been indicted on murder charges and placed under arrest.

Mon, December 13, 2004 New Day has dawned Despite his triumphs, left can't resist attacking Stock By Ezra Levant -- Calgary Sun There are many reasons why President George W. Bush won the U.S. election last month. The extreme hatred aimed at him by the Michael Moore crowd was one of them. Expressing hatred of Bush -- not just disagreement or dislike, but pure hatred of a kind that would cause a protester to hold a placard comparing Bush to Adolf Hitler -- obviously felt good to the hard-core leftists who indulged in it. But it so turned off mainstream Americans that independent or undecided voters were repelled -- actually driven into Bush's camp. Which reads like the story of the abuse hurled at Stockwell Day these past weeks. Day has had a good run lately -- in his two years as Opposition Foreign Affairs Critic, he has gained expertise in complex files, ranging from the Middle East to Taiwan. Not only has Day won plaudits from quarters of his own party that were once hostile to him, but he won the respect of the Liberal government, too. It is clear Canada's recent, tentative decision not to vote for an anti-Israel resolution at the UN is the result of dozens of questions asked about that in Question Period by Day -- whose incessant questioning also caused the government to belatedly criminalize certain Middle Eastern terrorist groups. He's built a solid reputation -- so much so that at the state dinner for Bush in Ottawa this month, when the U.S. president spotted Day amongst the 700 diners, he literally jumped out of his chair, walked over to Day, and had a five minute heart-to-heart with him. Anti-American Liberal cabinet ministers fumed that they didn't receive that kind of attention. So of course the Michael Moore set hates Day. And Canada has its own Michael Moore set. Take two hard-left web magazines, both heavily funded by involuntary union dues: The Tyee and Rabble. Neither has a strong reputation outside leftist circles. Like U.S. radical websites, they engage in conspiracy theories about the right, babbling on about Bush, Halliburton, and phantom Jewish neocons for whom Bush is allegedly a puppet. You know, Canada's nuts. Well, both these Internet scandal-sheets ran an absurd screed, by an aging leftist named Murray Dobbin, against Day. Dobbin rehashed old, false rumours about Day being an anti-Semite and mixed in a new, false rumour: That Day supposedly refused to send condolences to Yasser Arafat's funeral, because Arafat died of AIDS. The obvious contradiction -- Dobbin simultaneously accusing Day of being anti-Semitic while describing Day as a leading anti-PLO activist -- doesn't matter. It wasn't about logic, it was about sheer hate for Day communicated with personal insults including attacks on Day's own religion. To say Day didn't send flowers because Arafat died of AIDS is Michael Moore-style insanity. Day didn't send flowers because Arafat was a mass murderer and a multi-billion-dollar thief of foreign aid. But it was enough for Dobbin, and the union scandal-sheets. Dobbin's "proof" was Day had circulated an article that mentioned in passing, after a dozen charges of Arafat's crimes against humanity, that Arafat may have died of AIDS. What a Moore-style stretch. The Canadian Press also ran a version of this crazed accusation, but most newspapers in their syndicate wouldn't touch it. Not so The Tyee and Rabble,. It was outlandish and unfair. But Canadians will have the same reaction to the Dobbin/Tyee/Rabble smear. They'll be repulsed by the attackers, not Day, who is the victim.

Cal, you go on right ahead there, congratulating Day for getting acknowledgement from Bush. That'll go over BIG with Canadians. Ha-ha-ha!

I did some contract work with a company that was a media sponsor for Bab Bush's Big Canadian speaking tour in 2002. Ever heard of it? Probably not. At the eleventh hour, they were still scrambling to find enough people willing to fill the front two rows. And this was in Calgary. If there was anyplace on the planet that could rouse up enough people to go hear Bush's bag talk outside of Texas, that's where you'd find 'em.

Nope, nothing doing. As they offered the tickets, people cringed as though they transmitted some kind of dioxin contaminant. That's what folks think of Bush in this country.

Cal, any chance of you talking Doris into paying back the people in Alberta for that great big legal bill he ran up rather than simply fess up at the time and admit he was a jerk? What was it $700,000 or so. And the lawyer who was badmouthed by your buddy was only demanding $60,000 and an apology. Did he sell his watercraft yet? You know, the one he so impressed Canada's major media with a fews years ago when the failed Alliance Party was silly enough to elect him leader. I guess the new party is quite happy he is now relegated to foreign affairs where he is bound to stick his foot into issues a bit too complex for him to grasp. Oh, I see you mentioned Stockboy's experience in Taiwanese politics. He must have been more than a little surprised over the weekend when the majority in Taiwan opted to throw out the tired old right-wing leadership Stock supported and put their faith in dealing with people Stockyard hasn't impressed yet. You say he impressed Dubya. Must be a bit embarrassing to be about the only Canadian who wants to have anything to do with the war crimes suspect.

According to Ezra Levant, Micheal Moore is some kind of far-left loony. This says oodles about HIS polictics. Examine Moore and you find a basic social democrat, not out of place in the NDP if he was here in Canada. If a moderate leftist seems like a wild eyed extremist to Levant, then Levant must be a wild-eyed right-wing loony. And what must he think of anarchists?

Hey, you guys like media conspiracy theories. How about Levant's suggestion that the Tyee is yet another front for big labour? The only prominent advertiser I see (dirty capitalist ads!) is the Working Opportunity Fund. Hmmm. Then there are these clucking chickens who won't identify themselves, who go on about the lack of "labour reporters" and such. Gee, there's a Pacific Press union gripe that's at least 10 years old. Washed-up Sun editors, college and university lefties who seriously believe Canada would be better served if all our media was all state-owned, and a news agenda that looks like it's straight from Jim Sinclair's day planner. Come on, you conspiracy fans, take off your tinfoil hats. See the big picture.

Hey, anarcho! Do we have any bonafide anarchists left in Canada? The only examples I've come across are a bunch of old ladies in funny hats launching a kayak armada against nuclear subs, and planting a vegetable garden for the homeless on the legislature grounds (a pretty darned good use of the space). Oh, and one old Doukhabor lady who forgot herself a couple years ago and burned down her own house. Not exactly the sort of extremism that keeps the political medicine chest stacked with tranquilizers.

Sounds like you've been snorting too much tinfoil, Fletcher.

Where have you been Real Barking...? There are actually a lot of anarchists in Canada, we have replaced the ML's as the main group left of the NDP. Check out the Anarchism Canada web site if you want to see what I mean. http://www.geocities.com/vcmtalk/anarchismcanada1.html?1070221 751930

Cheers, anarcho. Thanks for the link.

anacho, Ezra Levant used to be Stockboy's communications director when the sea-do sailer was leader of the Alliance. NO, I don't know if Ezra dreamed up the ill-fated press conference on the shores of Okanagan Lake, but, you know, it certainly generated a lot of publicity for Day. Probably took voters' minds off the mess he left in Alberta when the Alberta government spent $700,000+ in a failed attempt to defend one of Day's dumber moves in court. Levant is a lawyer, but I don't know if he was part of that public cash flow. However, the fact that he's writing filler for the Calgary Sun suggests he didn't get rich trying to put words into Stockboy's head. ***Oh, I see the editor from that little David Black fart-catcher in Maple Ridge is back. It's just too bad he doesn't appreciate the difference between total disclosure and conspiracies. Seems to me Tyee editor David Beers clearly detailed where funding for the Tyee was coming from way back last year when The Tyee was launched. He noted clearly the BC Fed was providing some start up grant money and if it has continued to support The Tyee then great. I would suspect that the Maple Ridge News wouldn't have any qualms about taking National Citizens Coalition ad payments. I don't read that little gem, but I also expect the Maple Ridge Chamber of Commerce or whatever the local mini-capitalist cheerleaders group is called, gets stellar coverage as does the local Liberal MLA, especially as we near May 17. The more these right-wing whiners post here the more desperate they sound. But, it is a measure of The Tyee's success and growing clout that it attracts them. They are frightened because people enjoy some free speech in The Tyee, a privilage seemingly provided to only a select few in many other publications.

hey cal thanks for making the point about bias in the media. So much for free press! Why are these right wing (canadians?) always so pro american (almost to the point of treason at times) and pro israel, I don't profess to having enough knowledge to form an opinion on that situation but it seems to me that it takes two to tango and the americans are not helping the situation!

Here's the last thing I'll tell you, "allan". The difference between the BC Fed and the National Citizens' Coalition is that contributions to the latter are voluntary.

Regret to advise Tyee regulars that Black Press employees don't read Tyee for news, we read it for fun. (It's the BCTF fanatics' illiteracies that really make for the giggles.) Further regret to advise that, contrary to conspiracy theories, David Black does not issue edicts, David Black does not direct editorial stances and David Black's directive, as filtered down through the ages, is that news coverage must be fair. During the Nisga'a episode, TV and daily newspaper reporters declined to report the truth from the Black Press trenches, and that was that staffers were not pressured to slant the news. A veteran of many media, I have never been as free as when working for David Black. Out me if you can

Tom, you know what you wrote is silly. Of course union dues are manditory. If they weren't, as is the case in some US states, some among the minority who might be opposed to the union or who were looking to get something for nothing would simply not pay thereby putting all union members at risk or with higher dues. In a democracy Tom, when people take a vote, the majority hold the deciding power thereafter. Everyone benefits so everyone pays. It's real simple. If you vote in city elections, but the wrong candidates win, are you going to demand to have your taxes eliminated. You see, since early in the last century democracy has been allowed to come into the workplace if the majority wants it to, even if the employer is dead set against it. Once workers exercise their collective will to demand a union their right to have one kicks in. If the majority of workers decide they want to be represented by a union, why shouldn't they have that right Tom? Now, my take on the National Citizen's Coalition is it has a very deceptive name that conjurs up the idea of neighbours sitting at the kitchen table trying to think up ways to help families or communities. Instead it is really a convenient front to lobby and apply pressure to have the corporate and political interests of its members served by government. Even as we debate here the NCC is embroiled in a long battle to have the legal ability to interfere in political campaigns by dumping big wads of cash into ads to scewer politicians or issues they don't like and to prop up friendly ones in usually not very subtle ways. I, for one, hope the courts continue to deny such unwarranted interference.

So this discussion has turned into how a free weekly in the Okanagan area shills for conservative politicians, and the editorial staff, writers and -- get this -- delivery 'boys' of that paper are so pissed that readers of this site think so little of their politicians and opinions, that they actually need to respond with more of the same. Hilarious! I guess if you have to go somewhere to make your opinions heard, it might as well be to the site that attracts readers.

fletcher says; "Here's the last thing I'll tell you, "allan". The difference between the BC Fed and the National Citizens' Coalition is that contributions to the latter are voluntary." Not really much of a difference when you consider most Fed members join on their own seeking jobs that are union! The Fed tries to better working conditions for not only their own members but all workers in general, if one was to judge the ncc by their old leader one might come to the conclusion that they lobby for the elite! At the expense of the average citizen I might add!

And all this has ... what? ... to do with the Man Who Walks With Dinosaurs?

I was looking forward to reading an interesting article and got this.

Dinosaurs ...Daynosaurs. One is a fossil the other is a megasoreass.