Neoconservatism hubris, lies and incompetence are not just the lot of our neighbors south of the 49th parallel.
While many have expounded (rightly so) on the great qualities of Canada and Canadians on this 140th anniversary of our country, the speech given by Prime Minister Stephen J. Harper (a.k.a. Mini Leader) on the occasion of Canada Day-related celebrations highlighted the fact that our Canadian principles are being slowly eroded away by him and his neoconservative Harpies.
I have outlined numerous times enough (here, here, here, here and here, as examples) how Harper and his Harpies not only keep on parroting echoes of the same talking points put forth by the now-fully exposed, unlawful and disgraced Bush-Cheney administration, but are actually working seemingly in conjunction with said shameful, neocon- and incompetence-driven U.S. administration.
To this effect, I dare say that the Harper government is actually mimicking the Bush-Cheney administration. Let me count the ways:
A) "It's the fault of the previous Liberal Party governments": Sounds an awful lot like the classic "It's Clinton's fault" sham defense being harped day in and day out by the Bush-Cheney administration and its apologists, in order to excuse their own incompetence, no? (A couple of examples here, here, here and here, among so many) We've been hearing Harper and his Harpies use the same type of pathetic defense/excuse (with regards to the previous Liberal Party governments) ever since they were elected in 2006, whether the subject is about climate change/global warming and Canada's failure to meet Kyoto targets, or non-ratification of bills because they were shoddy or sent late, or whenever things slow down in Parliament, and so many other things - in fact, it is such a running joke that Harper himself plays along with it on comedy shows. Still, "blame the others" remains a staple of neocon escapism from responsibility and accountability - especially when Reality shines a bright spotlight upon their incompetence, as well as on the failures of their short-sighted vision, of their inability to understand the complexities the world, and of their ineptitude at governance. In this respect, Harper and his Harpies are no exceptions to this rule.
B) Rewrite recent history: Bush-Cheney and their neocon supporters/defenders are good at this (two examples here and here, among many). In his Canada Day's speech, Harper made much of his conclusion that Canada is once again a player on the world stage. To this claim, I ask the same question that others are asking: when was Canada ever "gone" from the world stage? The way Harper apparently thinks, it is Him and His government who took charge of Canada's missions concerning the "security" of Afghanistan (right) and Haiti (excuse me?!? ), in addition for being responsible in elevating Canada as a leader on climate change (sure). Some call such behavior mendacious self-delusion, while others make mention of being incapable of telling the truth and/or facing up to Reality - I call this a pathetic attempt to artificially inflate one's resumé in order to appear competent when, in fact, one is not. That is the lot of incompetents. And the sad truth is that Canada under the Harper government has been losing credibility on virtually every global/international issue out there - whether it is with his blind support for Israel's indiscriminate bombing of Lebanon last year, his "Good versus Evil" approach to the Middle East, his hypocritical and disassembling approach to climate change, his wishes for extending the Canadian Afghanistan mission beyond 2009, Canada's pledge for Africa aid efforts, et al. "Canada's back" indeed ...
C) Politicize the apparels of Government: Much has been made in recent weeks about the systematic approach of Bush-Cheney and their neocon cronies at politicizing all levels of government (the DOJ is one good example among many). Not surprisingly, Harper and his Harpies are on the same path - even the board of directors of the Royal Canadian Mint is not safe from pure ideological/partisan litmus-tests in nominations. Cronyism and right-wing ideology loyalty above and beyond actual credentials - another staple of neocon incompetence ... and once again, Harper is no exception here.
D) Pander to/adopt Christian Right fundamentalist values: This is not new with regards to the Bush-Cheney administration (examples here, here and here, among many) and the GOP itself as a party. Interestingly, Harper, an evangelical christian, has the dubious honor of being the first Canadian Prime Minister to end his speeches with "God bless Canada" (first time here) - which, of course, pleases the Canadian Christian Right and others similarly-minded to no end (three examples here, here and here). Not surprisingly, one of the first things Harper did as head of government was to re-open the debate (and voting) on the already settled issue of same-sex unions - around the same time Bush and the GOP revisited the matter in 2006, I might add. And then, in his Canada Day speech, Harper even went as far as saying this: "From the natural wealth of the land that God created to the talents, energy and imagination of people drawn from all nations of the Earth, we are a country that has been truly blessed" (emphasis mine). No wonder Harper played along with the global warming denial machine, before finally acknowledging its reality and yet doing nothing much about it. Just. Like. Bush-Cheney. I am seriously wondering if, like these guys, or especially this one, Harper does not accept the reality of evolution, or the actual age of the Earth - including how continents were shaped throughout billions of years of geological and biological weathering, erosion and tectonic plate movements. Considering his aforementioned words on Canada Day, it wouldn't surprise me if he, in fact, does not.
E) Be a warhawk/chickenhawk: I will spare you revisiting all the accumulated evidence in support of the fact that Bush-Cheney and their supporters/defenders are warhawks (and chickenhawks) - suffice it to say, we only need to look at the Iraq War and the current rattling of sabers with regards to Iran. And of course, neither Bush or Cheney ever actually served in combat situations. Similarly, Harper never served in the military. Like Bush, he likes to dress up as a soldier. Not surprisingly, not only did he support Bush's adventurism in Iraq, but actually stated that it was a serious mistake on the part of Canada by staying out of it. Harper and his Harpies have been using the same chickenhawk rhetoric for Afghanistan as their American neocon counterparts keep using for Iraq - almost verbatim at that. Same thing with regards to the "Good versus Evil" simplistic view on the Global War of Terror(TM). Therefore, I hope you will understand why I was far from being surprised at Harper's support for Israel's indiscriminate bombing of Lebanon last year and his desire to extend Canada's mission in Afghanistan beyond 2009. After all: "we must fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here", right? Regardless of all those innocent civilians caught in the cross-fire, right? But I do have a question, though: what is it with those neocons and their pathological need to prove their manliness through war and the sacrificing/killing of countless others at their behest? Just wondering, is all ...
F) Use faux patriotism: This goes hand-in-hand with E) above, along with flag-waving. As with Bush-Cheney and supporters who accuse/have accused/keep accusing Iraq War critics of being cowards, of not supporting the troops, of wanting the enemy to win and/or of being unpatriotic (if not treasonous) (other examples here, here and here, among a myriad of others), so do Harper and his Harpies vis à vis Afghanistan War critics (examples here, here, here, here and here, among many others). Proof again that posing and posturing matter more than substance and actual self-sacrifice.
And I could go on and on. For instance, just like Bush-Cheney and torture investigations, Harper and his Harpies are saying/doing everything to deny/keep the abuse of Afghan detainees under the rug. Also, the Harper government initiated a no-fly list in Canada and, just as in the U.S.A., it is critically flawed and will/has already lead to abuse. Then, Harper not only keeps on defending his ludicrous softwood lumber deal of last year with the U.S.A. (very accommodating for the U.S.), but furthermore considers making even more concessions on this matter. And last, but not least, there is Harper's big push for the deeper integration of Canada with the U.S.A, including the relaxation of rules for foreign (read: American) law enforcement officers who carry weapons into Canada and the allowance of special activities/operations by NORTHCOM on Canadian soil. Considering the propensity of Harper and his Harpies in mimicking and integrating with the Bushies, and considering how said Bushies have no qualms about illegal surveillance operations on their own citizens, I find myself asking this dreadful question: to what extent has the Harper government been allowing similar illegal electronic surveillance on Canadians (presumably by the RCMP and CSIS), and to what extent is such data shared with the U.S.A.?
In conclusion, Canada is currently being governed by incompetent people who are more interested in pleasing Bush-Cheney (and related U.S. interests), and thus surrendering our sovereignty in the process, than actually promoting, protecting and serving the interests of Canada.
This is a very disturbing conclusion which I have reached previously - however, the purpose of this extended article on this matter is to provide, as best as I can, further awareness of this unacceptable, if not actually mendacious, situation.
Harper and his Harpies have been heading the Canadian government for about one year and a half. And already, despite being a minority government, they feel quite "comfortable" to declare the House of Commons unconstitutional because the opposition parties have passed a bill to obligate them at meeting Kyoto targets(remember this one from Bush?). Therefore, look again at their record so far and then try to imagine how much they can further "accomplish" in another year hence - or two, or even more ...
Consequently, my fellow Canadians, I ask you one last question for this day: what are we going to do about this?
Happy Canada Day again, eh ...
(Cross-posted from APOV)
__________________________
