PM: Scheming as Usual? Incompetence? Overweaning Pettiness? Invincible Arrogance? Or Fear of the Conservative Party of Canada?

Poor Paul Martin; he schemed to oust Jean Chretien and his scheming nature is evident in the senatorial appointments, though, individually, they may be fine folk for reasons other than appointment to the Senate, that august House of Patronage, Perquisites and Permanent Positions at very respectable salaries.

Paul Martin, you have revealed yourself unable to rise above your nature in the national interest. Poor you. You will not make it into the annals of great Canadians. That will be reserved for more selfless souls. You are to be pitied -- to have schemed so long and so hard -- for this travesty of Prime Ministerial power, business as Liberal usual. I feel sorry for you. Canadians will eventually turf you but this pettiness will be your legacy.

Your legacy will be one with the buffoonery of Jean Chretien's golf ball testimony at the Gomery Inquiry -- and I am sure you had hoped for better.

News Junkie Canada

Now to the impetus for my ire, the article that describes Paul Martin's new appointees:

"Why is this prime minister so arrogant that he feels he knows better than the people of Alberta as to who should represent them?" Conservative MP Jason Kenney said.

Senators are eligible to sit until age 75; they earn $116,000 plus other benefits.

Appointees problematic for opposition Mar. 24, 05, Alexander Panetta, CP

[. . . . ] Dallaire led the ill-fated international mission against the 1994 Rwandan genocide. . . .

[. . . . ] the party affiliation of each was immediately dismissed by the Conservatives and NDP.

Evelyn Dyck,. . . .

The NDP is asking Dyck to sit as an Independent and has refused to let her join the party's larger caucus. They point out that she's no longer a card-carrying NDP member.

[. . . . ] "It was my personal choice," Dyck said. "The values that I stand for are basically those the NDP stands for, but if that doesn't match what the party line indicates with regards to the Senate then I guess we will have to make a choice." [. . . . ]

I am delighted with the appointment of Romeo Dallaire, a man's man and a soldier's soldier. The rest? Well, search: "Thursday's appointees"


Note the qualifications which carry weight with our Mr. Dithers -- and my comments:

* kicked out of the Chretien cabinet over an ethics breach (That entailed awarding a nice contract to his girlfriend), clearing the way for Liberal star candidate Ken Dryden to run. That is Daycare Dryden who is about to start another gun registry style boondoggle; it will likely be overbudget and not do what the program should do, which is encompass all Canadians -- stay-at-home mothers, for example.

* Martin backer in Nova Scotia -- payback time

* an investment adviser with CIBC Wood Gundy -- Do "the boys" need help with investing?

* the Liberal party's campaign chairman in the last election -- payback time again

* social activist, feminist -- There are women in Canada who do not accept the vocal and/or strident "feminists" as representing them; unfortunately these women do not get perquisites. Only the favoured "feminists" are the ones who qualify. Which NGO did this one come from? (Liberal taxpayer supported? No, you don't say! Who would have thought? Check. I'm just being my nasty self. )

* promoter of bilingualism, former dean of the Faculte St-Jean -- Another assymetrical federalist -- as long as the weight is on Francophone rights, services, and promotion of their language, not Anglophone rights to work for their own government civil service in any capacity above a menial level. That is 70% to 75% to 80% of the country [Check the percentage for yourself.] cut out from their country's civil service by assymetrical language rights favouring Francophones, the English speaking part.

* aboriginal activist -- a scientist. Do you suppose she can steer the Senators to a body of peer reviewed and good research on Kyoto? Would she be appointed if she would? Or is it her job to bring in the aboriginal vote?

* Progressive Conservative -- except the PC party does not exist. Paul Martin is so vengeful, scheming, afraid of the Conservative Party of Canada that he was so small as to refuse to appoint Conservative Party Senators.

The Rumour Mill:

I hear rumblings that Canadians might as well forget about Quebec leaving Canada -- that they won't vote Liberal in the next election but that their innate good sense in realizing that blackmailing Canada for goodies to remain as part of Canada will undoubtedly hold sway over their natural inclination to go it alone as France's outpost and an independent Quebec in North America. Blackmailing Canadians to stay in Canada has worked for years -- why change?

The big question mark is the West. The rumours are that it will leave Canada before Quebec because of our government's cavalier treatment at the hands of the likes of Paul Martin and Jean Chretien, little men of small, personal pettiness and no vision for Canada, just greed for themselves and personal aggrandizement. (For an example of JC's final efforts for a legacy of something other than the taint of corruption from the Sponsorship scandal and the Gomery Inquiry, see the tax $$$, foundation $$$ or Crown corporation $$$ (or all of them) poured into a one-day workshop on Africa.

Frost Hits the Rhubarb -- Scroll down to this article in the menu at left.

Compare: "Pulp MIll Workers Urged to Build Arts Industry" & UNB: World Bank, Industry, Educ. Ambassadorial Reps "Working with Africa Workshop" posted Mar 12 in the Mar. 6-12, 2005 compilation. For that post alone, go here .