Votescamsatchewan

Kate has some news on the Desnethe - Missinippi - Churchill River riding votescam:

http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/archives/003449.html

Looks like they have a case!

New Political Blog ...

Folks, my two other friends on here haven't been posting anything for some time now, so I think it's best if I moved all of my political blogging to another site, but I will remain here for movie and music reviews.

So go to Hatrock's Cave for all your bloggable political needs:

http://hatrockscave.blogspot.com/

-Snaky

Stupid Federal Election Prediction 2006

Well I wasn't even close. I'm way too optimistic at these things. As I stated, I based my findings on the Ipsos-Reid poll and that 8% lead factor.

So what did I under/over estimate?

I thought the CPC would gain in B.C. They did get +2% but lost 5 seats. That's poor strategy there. Hats off to Jack Layton for spending the most time there. The NDP ran a very good campaign and did the best they could.

In Alberta, not surprised Mike Lake won. That was a wollup actually. And my good friend Laurie Hawn gained 3 points from 2004 and turned Landslide Annie into a mudslide. (What a party we had afterward. Still recovering...) He won by 3790 votes. That's more votes than Anne won in all previous four elections - combined. She's really regretting that Paul Martin visit now.

My friend Jeremy Harrison, the incumbant Conservative, lost his seat in Churchill River in Saskatchewan by 100 votes. However, there's rumour of massive voter fraud there. Hmmm... Too bad, he's a young, bright guy with a lot of potential. Manitoba was a gain for the CPC .. finally!

Quebec surprised me. Thought the CPC would get 4 seats, but 10 seats! Wow!

I thought the Maritimes would add a few more Conservatives.

Now let's talk about Ontario. I guess I just won't ever understand that big fat province, more particularly, the Greater Toronto Area. I guess corruption, scandal, and entitlement is part of the culture. Pretty forgiving if you ask me. Heck, let's throw Vancouver and Montreal in there. Canada's three big cities still want control over the country while everyone else is tired of it. And I'm not so much talking about wayfare socialists, I'm talking big business. I'm talking about Belinda and Paul Martin. They're big business.

Harper is middle class hockey dad. And that's why he won. He related to the average Tim and Horton Canadian (hat tip to Andrew Coyne for "coyning" that phrase) and soccer mom. Years ago, I suggested to the Harper camp that they show off his hockey dad image a lot more. Very powerful Canadianna there. I'm glad they finally listened.

Well, big business won't have anyone at the cabinet table. The smaller cities are emerging -- Alberta in particular. The middle class is tired of the weight that's been placed on them with the high taxes and shitty programs. It's time we took our country back and it's nice to see that Quebec is agreeing with us again.

And I promise, no more optimistic polls. I'm not even going to mention 2004 or that'll put me into PEDS again (post-election distress syndrome).

And I can't wait until my father gets back from his month long stint in South Africa. He was never a big Harper fan. He even supported Belinda in the leadership race. While I carefully rub this win in his face, I know he'll say it should have been a majority. Then we'll have a talk about Hogtown.

Federal Election Prediction 2006

Science has shown that today, January 23rd, 2006 is the most depressing day of the year... for Paul Martin that is.

Here's my seat prediction, and I've maintained this for weeks now. Everyone is predicting a Conservative minority, while I'm predicting a Conservative Majority. You see, I've said, it's 1984 all over again. The Liberals are at 27%, just like they were then, their worst defeat ever, when they were reduced to below 50 seats, but I don't think they'll be that low this time, yet close to 3rd place because their vote is concentrated in the GTA. As well, I've seen graphs that show if you have at least an 8 point lead, you get a majority. Well, the polls show a 9-11 point lead for Harper.

A Bloc opposition would be a nightmare for Harper, having to pander to Quebec and answer in French all the time. A Liberal opposition would be ideal, as they would have no credibility in answering questions. In fact, it would be embarrassing for former cabinet ministers to ask questions regarding their old department. All the Conservative minister would have to say is, "Well, we're still trying to fix all the problems you created."

Conservatives: 159
Liberals: 60
Bloc: 58
NDP: 30
Ind.: 1 (Quebec)

So there you have it. It's optimistic. I was optimistic in 2004 and got burned. I'm praying that Canadians aren't as gullable as before.

Snaky's Intermittent Movie Review - "The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"

I remember "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" being read to me way back in elementary school, but don't remember the story at all other than there were a few kids in it and some talking animals.

Fellow Threedeker, Boobie, recommended I go see this flick.

The first scene really grabs you -- Nazi bombers over London in WWII. Very well done. Then they show the four kids, an eldest brother, a slightly younger sister, an even younger brother, and a little sister, running from the house, who also show great disdain for each other, then head into a bomb shelter with their mother. The next day they're shipped off to a safe haven away from London under a British program to protect the children from further Nazi bombing attacks. They now live in a large house owned by "The Professor" and while playing hide and seek, the little girl finds the wardrobe and a whole new world. And that is certainly an understatement.

It's a wonderfully told fantasy and I'm told the movie is EXACTLY like the book. The CGI animation of the talking animals work seemlessly with the real actors, which make the fantasy so real in itself.

The soundtrack is top notch, filled with flowing harmonies, much like Enya, but more volume, which beautifully compliments the dazzling winter and summer scenery.

The plot does become a bit predictable, especially for grown-ups who understand Christian symbolism and allegory, but it would be truly shocking for the little ones whose hopes get shattered and "resurrected". I gave that away there because even you should see it coming. The rising phoenix dividing the line of fire truly topped that symbolism and the ensuing battle, while not as dark and gory as Lord of the Rings, politely never showed any sword or arrow actually penetrate anything, and for a General audience, was not necessary anyway.

But the allegory of Narnia goes much deeper than this blatant religious portrayal.

The wardrobe is a representation of that inner portal of our souls where many of us are afraid to step into, to discover our true selves. "For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks." - Matthew 7:8.

Our curiousity, especially as children, and the wonders of exploration, hope, love, and the great rewards that follow, should continually drive us toward truth and selfawareness. The little girl who plays this role does it perfectly with big eyes, wide smiles, and a dainty glowing personna. She is that inner child we all have and must continue to call upon for our curiousity.

The white snow is our innocence and coldness, although shown with beauty and wonder, begins the journey. Friendship, trust, and sacrifice represented by Mr. Thomas, show us the initial steps toward love and charity.

Finally, although older, the next youngest saunters through the wardrobe into Narnia and meets the Queen of Narnia, a.k.a., the witch and finally, they all end up there, and in search of Mr. Thomas, who was taken away by the witch.

Without going to much further into the plot, the symbol of strength and power represented by Azlan the Lion (with a perfect voice-over by Liam Neisson), is the key. His sacrifice to save the youngest boy from his fall of grace is the ultimate moral of the story. Those who truly understand the "dark magic" know that death is nothing to fear, that a better life is yet to come.

This regeneration and rebirth is a fundamental aspect of our lives. We must continually look at ourselves and reassess whither are we directing our course, to seek for that which was lost, and with courage and fortitude, we hope to ultimately find.

Because of this core moral teaching which lay at the heart of the deep symbolism overshadowed by obvious allegory, this is an excellent movie everyone should see. Not only is it fun for the kids, but it will remind you to tend to your inner self and listen to that inner child begging to be heard again.

I don't have anything really bad to say about the movie, other than some predictability of it. I cried, I laughed, and was in awe of the production. The little girl actor stole the show, while the other three were weaker, and thus a slightly lower rating than you'd expect.

Snaky gives "The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" 4.37 Lion paws out of 5.

1984

Folks, I'm now convinced that the year is actually 1984. With political correctness at full tilt, the state controlling more of our lives each day, and the likely upcoming federal election outcome, Orwellian theory has slowly risen. This second-rate high-tax socalist state has been double-plus-bad ... er... , I mean, it really sucks.

The realization of Canadian society is that they now face reality. This state-owned dream of Canada - that Liberal vision, is a sham. Canadians aren't Liberals -- they're libertarians, and there's a big difference.

With a week to go in this long election campaign, Stephen Harper has shown himself to the electorate, to a wise, young middle-class regular non-scary guy that people can identify with (I could have told you that years ago). Especially in Quebec, where the Conservatives are polling at 32%, only 11 points behind the Bloc which was ignited by his speech in Quebec a couple weeks ago, the young whippersnapper has single-handedly shattered the separatist dream. There's a bit of Harpermania going on there. Certainly not to Trudeaumania levels, but they like him a lot.

A month ago, we were saying if Martin's Liberals won this election, our hope for Canada was lost, and Alberta's dream was alive. Well, that's been dashed for now. Despite Liberal claims, a strong federal government does not work in this confederation -- but regional respect does. Canada does not need a big strong federal government to keep the country together. Canadians can do that on their own, and we tired of that state-owned pride. We want it back. Quebec federalists want it back--and were ashamed when the Liberals were caught trying to buy it from them.

Now back to 1984, where Prime Minister John Turner, who'd taken over from Trudeau, was up against a well spoken Brian Mulroney. Canadians were tired of leftist-liberalism and a weak economy as a result, and saw an American economy bounce back with Reagan, lower taxes, and hope.

So like good music, in Canada, we tend to mimick our American friends, but are about 4 years behind. In 1984, we were 4 years behind electing a conservative. In 1988, we stuck to it. In 1993, we were a year behind the U.S. electing a liberal. Now we're just over 5 years behind a conservative again. In Ontario, voters tend to balance themselves out. During Conservative Mike Harris' Common Sense Revolution of the 90's, Chretien Liberals were in Ottawa. Now, Dalton McGuinty's Liberals are running that province, and voters are going to balance that out with a Harper Conservative federal government. Turner was a stutterererer -- so is Martin. Nice men, but indecisive. It's too easy!

And as I've said in a previous blog regarding music, shmoltzy rock ballads are back (listen to Nickelback), just like all that crap that began in 1984. The rebelliousness of music was gone -- everyone was happy. It was time to love again. Miami Vice was king. Oh wait! Guess what movie is coming out soon?

I should have seen a Harper government a long while back. But I'm going to go out on a limb here and say it'll be a majority -- not to the extent of Mulroney's 211 seats, but it'll be there, and that result will be double-plus-good ... er ... I mean, really awesome!

Campaign break is over...

Momentum is now on Stephen Harper's side.

I'm thinking that over the holidays, a lot of Canadians got together in groups, say over dinner, or at a party, and a big topic was politics, and the social norm was to trash the Liberals and support the Conservatives.

Of course, ITScam with Finance Minister Ralph Goodale and Paul Martin dithering once again, and I mean REALLY dithering on who in the PMO and Finance Dep't knew about the leak, "Um, look, uh, um, you see, um, you know, um" is just frustrating to listen to.

While there still maybe some soft-NDP going to the Liberals, methinks the usual Liberal default voters are just going to sit this one out, or punish their own party by voting NDP to split the vote or Conservative to really give it to them.