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Apr-16-2012 05:00printcommentsVideo

Alberta: Political hell looms

If the Wildrose Party forms the government on April 23, Alberta is on its way to becoming Alabama north with oil.

Salem-News.com

(Calgary, Alberta) - Alberta is one of the few places in the world that is rat-free, and has been so for more than half a century. Only zoos, universities, and research institutes are allowed to own caged rats in Alberta, and possession of an unlicensed rat (even a pet rat) is punishable by a $5,000 fine or 60 days in jail.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said concerning an even more virulent rodent, rattus Republican Amerikaner. The only potential defense against them is human reason and not always that. They carry their own pathogenic attitudes that they spread within vulnerable human populations. Infections can only be countered with the equivalent of a political exorcism. Alberta has been contaminated. As third generation Alberta journalist Catherine Ford wrote in her book, Against the Grain.

“What many other Canadians fail to understand, and what far too many Albertans refuse to admit, is that the influx of Americans at the beginning of the twentieth century, and their continuing immigration as a result of the energy business, has had a profound effect on the ethos of Alberta.”

That effect is the contamination now ravaging Alberta's body politic.

An Alberta election has been called for April 23 and the current government party, the Progressive Conservatives (PC), have been in office, uninterrupted, for 41 years (1971). That is likely about to change. The Wildrose Party (WRP) is far ahead in the polls and looks likely to form the next government. The only real hope for the people of Alberta is if the PC party wins the most seats (but not a majority) and are compelled to form a coalition government with the Liberals or the NDP (New Democratic Party). This is a long-shot scenario.

If the Wildrose Party forms the government on April 23, Alberta is on its way to becoming Alabama north with oil.

First disaster

The WRP as a party is less than four years old. Danielle Smith, with no political experience at all, only became leader in October 2009—two and a half years ago. Only four members (not including Smith), have a seat in the legislature; of the 83 running in the election only those four have any provincial political experience (one had been elected as a Wildrose Alliance member and the other three are disaffected PC MLAs who changed parties.)

Danielle has no legislative experience, no administrative experience and no background in governing experience,” says Ron Ghitter, a former PC senator and 1970s-era MLA.

To turn Alberta over to that level of inexperience with totally unknown people is a high-risk situation. I think it would be a backward step for Alberta. In a general sense, I take the view that to turn Alberta over to a totally inexperienced, right-wing, ideological government would be a regressive step. Alberta is the envy of Canada and likely North America. This prehistoric approach would be a negative factor for Alberta .”

Raj Sherman, leader of the Liberal party says: “Danielle would take us further right. She’s honest about being right wing. She would move us back to the 1950s and 1960s.” (Note: Before she was even born.)

Liberal columnist Warren Kinsella writes: “If elected, she will unleash social and political chaos unlike anything Alberta has seen since the bad old days of Social Credit.”

Political scientist Keith Brownsey says:

Wildrose aren’t conservatives by any proper definition; they’re reactionary modernists. They want to put the state back to something it looked like in 1920 but use modern technologies to do that. This is a party that talks about choice, which is a code for school vouchers in education, which in and of itself is code for privatization. There’s no doubt that they have this in their agenda.”

If the WRP were to form the next government, they would be a motley collection of rank amateurs. It would be like taking a large company, General Motors say, and replacing the complete top management—from the Chairman and CEO on down—with the most recently hired, eccentric people from the mail room. The people of Alberta will have been the authors of their own political and economic misfortune. This Youtube video (23 seconds) is a good analogy of how Albertans elect their leaders. (It’s not the running in a circle, but how they mindlessly follow each other.)

Second disaster

Alberta has always been a religiously-based (like America), right-wing society—an outlier in Confederation. The explosive population growth of the province over the last few decades has been largely driven by people moving here.

With tens of thousands of people immigrating from other provinces with differing political attitudes, I always wondered why Alberta’s right-wing ideology didn’t appear to be diluting. Turns out it was, just slowly and not particularly obviously. The PC party over the last few years has been slowly moving leftward, towards the centre. This is something the hardline rightists of the party have been trying unsuccessfully to halt. As a result there has been an exodus of ideologues and the formation of farther right parties, like the Reform Party which, through several morphings, became the federal Conservative Party with Calgarian Stephen Harper (born in Toronto) at its head—now the Prime Minister of Canada.

In the U.S., religion and politics are inextricably intertwined. Religion has almost no public place in politics in Canada—except in Alberta. I experienced this personally growing up in Calgary—as religious, right-wing and socially conservative a city as you would have found in Texas in the 1950s.

Alberta was governed from 1935 to 1971 by the Social Credit party with only two leaders: “Bible Bill” Aberhart, founder of Calgary’s Prophetic Bible Institute. After his death in 1943, he was succeeded as Premier by Ernest C. Manning, the first graduate of Institute. (His son, Preston, was the founder and first leader of the Reform Party mentioned two paragraphs ago.) (Note: When Ernest Manning retired in 1968, he was replaced by Harry Strom who lost the government after three years and was replaced by Progressive Conservative Peter Lougheed in 1971).

Social Credit was a religious party from beginning to end. Manning delivered Sunday radio sermons on his ”Back to the Bible Hour” that were broadcast by more than 90 stations across the country, even through all the years that he was Alberta Premier and for four years after. That was the cultural water (now called Kool-Aid) I drank.

The cultural water was polluted with absolutist beliefs, stemming from its religious foundations. In 1898 George Bernard Shaw described the effect in his play Caesar and Cleopatra. It included this exchange:

Britannus [shocked] Caesar: this is not proper.

Theodotus: [outraged] How!

Caesar [recovering his self-possession] Pardon him, Theodotus: he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature.

In 1972 I moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, a city as different from Calgary as it could possibly be—both geographically and culturally. I still remember the feeling of culture shock I experienced. This is when I first learned about cultural relativity. Depending on the degree of societal insularity, we automatically assume, as did Britannus, that the whole world is the same and, in particular, our society is the universal norm.

We have seen this most forcefully in the U.S. adventures in the Middle East. Most Americans, including the national leadership, seem to believe that their view of the world is universally held or aspired to. As former President Bush declared in a number of speeches all over the world when he was in office,

The desire for liberty is universal because it is written by our Creator into the hearts of every man, woman and child on the earth”.

His explanation of why Al Queda attacked the U.S. was shallow and simple minded: “They hate our freedoms".

In his religious absolutism, he apparently believed that if Iraq were liberated from the evil Saddam, the Iraqis would automatically gravitate to freedom and democracy. This showed an astonishing combination of hubris and ignorance on the part of President Bush and his coterie who seemed to have no awareness of the religious, cultural and historical chasms existing between North America and the Arab world. On the whole, they are not like us and will never be like us. Just look at the roles to which women are restricted in their society. Normal to them, abnormal to us.

The Wildrose policy platform contains a so-called “conscience rights” clause which means, as it does in many Republican jurisdictions, if a pharmacy owner, for example, is opposed to birth control, he can refuse to dispense birth control pills.

Former Liberal leader Dr. David Swann says that Albertans should be "uneasy" with the "rather extreme, socially conservative, economically irresponsible vision of the party".

In a 2001 Calgary Herald article Smith wrote that universities should have behaviour codes for the students:

It is perfectly reasonable [to] expect its students to refrain from practices that are biblically condemned, and sign a pledge not to get drunk, swear, harass, lie, cheat, steal, have an abortion, practise the occult, or engage in sexual sins such as premarital sex, adultery, homosexual behaviour and viewing of pornography.[italics added]”

Two years ago, candidate Don Koziak kicked off his Edmonton mayoral bid with a promise to halt LRT expansion, calling public transit "enormously environmentally unfriendly." Asked what he would do differently, he suggested the construction of more "interchanges and wider roads."

Candidate Ron Leech, an evangelical pastor wrote in the Calgary Herald in 2004 that

to affirm homosexuality is to distort the image of God, to insult the nature and being of God.”

Sun columnist Brian Lilley, who (showcasing his biased journalism) had had a fawning interview with Ann Coulter when she was in Canada wrote:

What [Premier] Redford isn’t saying, and too many journalists covering her fail to mention, is that conscience rights are a central part of Canada’s charter. In fact, it is the first fundamental freedom that the government is supposed to protect.”

Section 2 of the charter reads, ‘2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:

‘(a) freedom of conscience and religion.’

That’s pretty clear.

The Charter of Rights and Freedoms is supposed to protect individuals and their rights from government and its seemingly unlimited power. Yet Redford believes the government’s role should include being able to force someone to act against their own conscience, their most deeply held beliefs.”

This is true, but the Charter also gives us protection from the privately held views of others in the public arena. If a service is legal (such as the dispensing of birth control pills, or the marriage of a same-sex couple) a person cannot be compelled to go against their “deeply held beliefs”. Conversely, however, they cannot force the recipients of the service to abide by those selfsame beliefs. If they are opposed, they have the option of quitting their job as they would obviously be unsuitable to hold it. A more extreme example would be a policeman. A police officer does not have the option, in any system governed by the rule of law to only enforce the laws he agrees with.

Last year, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal upheld the principle that those sworn to carry out certain tasks cannot unilaterally pick and choose which parts of their job they will perform. That case involved a marriage commissioner refusing to perform same-sex marriages.

Final disaster

All these travails come out of the American-dominated “Calgary School”, A group of neo-conservative economists and political scientists at the University of Calgary who have advocated for free markets and small government for years and who have helped nourish and guide conservatism in Western Canada for decades.

One of the key players, there, is the American-born political scientist Tom Flanagan who is now running the Wildrose campaign. He also ran the campaigns of Stephen Harper sending him on the way to becoming Prime Minister.

Both Harper and Smith were educated through the Calgary School. It’s little known, but Harper himself is also an evangelical—Christian and Missionary Alliance.

WRP as a Trojan Horse

The Wildrose Party in partnership with the Conservative Party of Canada (Stephen Harper, Prop.) wish to impose a right-wing, religious government on the people of Canada, a government equivalent to the American Tea Party movement. Unless they are stopped, you need look no further than the American Republicans to know what is in store for your children and grandchildren.

___________________________________

Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Daniel Johnson as a teenager aspired to be a writer. Always a voracious reader, he reads more books in a month than many people read in a lifetime. He also reads 100+ online articles per week. He knew early that in order to be a writer, you have to be a reader.

He has always been concerned about fairness in the world and the plight of the underprivileged/underdog.

As a professional writer he sold his first paid article in 1974 and, while employed at other jobs, started selling a few pieces in assorted places.

Over the next 15 years, Daniel eked out a living as a writer doing, among other things, national writing and both radio and TV broadcasting for the CBC, Maclean’s (the national newsmagazine) and a wide variety of smaller publications. Interweaved throughout this period was soul-killing corporate and public relations writing.

It was through the 1960s and 1970s that he got his university experience. In his first year at the University of Calgary, he majored in psychology/mathematics; in his second year he switched to physics/mathematics. He then learned of an independent study program at the University of Lethbridge where he attended the next two years, studying philosophy and economics. In the end he attended university over nine years (four full time) but never qualified for a degree because he didn't have the right number of courses in any particular field.

In 1990 he published his first (and so far, only) book: Practical History: A guide to Will and Ariel Durant’s “The Story of Civilization” (Polymath Press, Calgary)

Newly appointed as the Deputy Executive Editor in August 2011, he has been writing exclusively for Salem-News.com since March 2009 and, as of April 2012, has published more than 190 stories.

View articles written by Daniel Johnson




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Anonymous April 22, 2012 11:48 am (Pacific time)

The point by Anonymous is quite clear. All your articles are steeped in the same bleak monotone, coming from someone who has never fit into society, a narcissistic sociopath, which is a reflective state of all marxists. All doomed to continue down the same path over and over again. Einstein said it so well re: Insanity.

Your comment shows your lack of awareness. Einstein never said anything about insanity. In fact, a whole book could be written listing quotes misattributed to him.


Anonymous April 20, 2012 6:38 am (Pacific time)

As Shakespeare’s Henry IV said, “The wish is father to the thought.” For some, their writing is nuanced on "hope and change," not an accurate interpretation of reality, and the causal variables that promulgated that reality. They are usually found telling others of an oppressive society, one that they never fit into.

And your point is?


Anonymous April 18, 2012 6:32 pm (Pacific time)

Daniel you have a very skewed, and dismal view of western society. If you had ever traveled to different parts of the world, and actually spent some real time and did business with the people who lived in these foreigh locales, you might have a better appreciation of what Thomas Hobbes, Darwin, and other philosophers you like to quote, were getting at. I certainly know about life in the state of nature, both in combat, and in some very dangerous countries, as being short, nasty and brutish. You simply appear to have been an observer, not a full participant in life, correct? Canada is a pretty safe place, same with the states (outside of the urban areas) and most of europe, but outside of these locations, freedom is an illusion. If, say for example, our society collapsed, those of us who have done well (approx. 50% of us, not that fictional #1%), will survive much better than those who rely on government handouts. For those who genuinely need help, by all means, but we now literally have 4th and 5th generation welfare families whose kids continually drop out of school, usually at around 16. They need vocational training for employment, except more and more jobs, require the type of training they cannot learn (documented), so what do we do with a growing underclass, a group of people, currently being riled up by false promises, and divisive rhetoric, aka class warfare? Yes we are heading to considerable upheaval, and if it's the left that is in charge of the govt., I fear to predict the casualty rates. Our economy can easily rebound with the right leadership, we have done it before, but I have seen that you know little about American history, nor the direction countries like China are heading. We still call the world's economic shots, and will continue to do so. China is facing some serious labor shortages (that's right, China and labor shortages!) in the near future, and their collapse will come in less than 20 years. They, like Canada, are totally dependent on capitalism, and that is us. We are the consumers, and will have the largest economy on the planet for as far into the future one can see...Canada sell oil to China who sells their goods to us and europe. We quit buying even a little, then guess how that plays out?

The problem with believers in capitalism is that they believe that it is the only "system" there is, despite all the evidence showing it to be a massive failure. Sure, it supplies a lot of goods and comforts to a minority of people on the planet. In order to supply even similar levels to the rest of the world would end up destroying the global environment we all depend on for life. Man does not live by bread alone, but in the capitalist ethos, "bread" is all there is. Go outside the city on a dark, clear night and look up at the uncountable stars and galaxies and tell yourself that capitalism is a universal ethos.


Anonymous April 18, 2012 12:28 pm (Pacific time)

You are worth what people (employers/customers) are willing to pay you. That reality just absolutely rankles those on the left because of it's global truth. And that folks is not an oxymoron, that is free market capitalism. And that is why the subject matter of this article and it's method of interpretation has received the current level of response.

If you can accept the concept, free-market capitalism is an oxymoron. People have been led to believe that "free" means people can do whatever they want or need to do to be successful. If true, then it applies to others in relation to what you accumulate. But you can keep what you accumulate only because a government guantees it. Money, property, protection, are all societally agreed-upon concepts which are enforced by government. Take away governments and everyone is down on the ground on all fours in a Hobbesian war of all-against-all.

This addresses your first point about what people are "worth". There is no part of capitalism that gives any worth to human beings except as cogs in the machine. A reasonable capitalistic solution (refute it if you can) is that once people can no longer work, i.e, disabled, too old, etc., they become worthless and a solution, by capitalist standards would be for them to be euthanized. Capitalism can then continue to work efficiently.


Anonymous April 18, 2012 6:49 am (Pacific time)

Sounds like Canada is getting some top notch professional guidance. Generally the critics of successful people/organizations come from those who have had at best marginal success in their own lives, thus they simply do not understand the micro/macro environment, outside of the similar misinformed they interface with. They feed and reinforce their endless cycle of confusion. A reading of Darwin can help in getting a grasp why nature created and removes these types of organisms. It appears that a massive removal is coming. What delightful event that will be to witness.

Youi've put your finger right on the problem. Human beings are part of the animal kingdom but because of self-awareness and consciousness are more than animals. The fundamental problem with human kind is that we have been duped into believing that we can apply the template of animal-only existence on human society. The result is that the 1% treat the 99% as prey.

If you want to stay with that model, then there is no reason why others who want what you have cannot take it by force. What stops such a society from evolving is that we have rules of law, etc. Such laws don't exist in the animal world--i.e., humans are more than animals. You can have one or the other approach--societal cooperation or a continual war of all against all (Hobbes). The essential failing of human society today is that the two models are mixed.


Anonymous April 17, 2012 6:25 pm (Pacific time)

Canada is America. Harper works for the vast right wing conspiracy led by Billy Grahm and Richard Cheney.


Anonymous April 16, 2012 7:16 pm (Pacific time)

I think the hoax of 19 cavemen attacking the twin towers, and dont forget buiding 7, really tells the truth... cavemen did not do 911...thats all I got for now.


Anonymous April 16, 2012 10:30 am (Pacific time)

This is from the plans for a north american union by the globalists. I could have told you this would happen a decade ago. They are setting up "unions" eurozone, NAU, Asia, etc. They wrote their plans decades ago. This is why the U.S. southern borders are wide open. I have been at the point where I dont know if I have the energy or motivation to fight it anymore. Few believe me, the media lies and indoctrinates, and our education system is nothing but indoctrination, and the globalists have simply become too powerful. They own everything, from the government, the education system, the health care system etc. They have been setting this up for over a century. We have a bit of ray of hope here in the U.S. right now, and that is Ron Paul. The media lies about him, and ignores him, and the GOP cheats him, but when he speaks, thousands listen. UCLA had 10,000 people at his rally. Romney is lucky to get hundreds, and cheats to get votes. Ron Paul is the only one that can challenge obama. Daniel, the U.S. and Canada are kinda tied at the hip, so you should be supporting Ron Paul also. Its our last chance before the globalists take over, and you will find much worse than this article, this article is a drop in the ocean to what the globalists overall plans are. Over the last month, I have come across many Canada articles, when before I hardly ever heard anything about Canada. Every article I received, proved to me that its Canada's turn to give up their soverignty and become part of the NAU and the new world order. Welcome to hell. The U.S. has 2 million homeless children, but the U.S. has money to maintain 1000 military bases worldwide. I have 100 more examples showing the overall evil of the globalists. Gun sales in the U.S. have skyrocketed, millions to be blunt. At the same time, Dept of Homeland Security is gearing up like crazy also. My info says the globalists have not let the economy collapse yet, until they get more cities, counties, states and countries in debt so bad, they beg for a world bank/government. Watch and learn.


Anonymous April 16, 2012 6:30 am (Pacific time)

Progress, even a return of former successful methods, is always difficult to accept for those who believe in a large government providing it's steadily increasing tyrannical direction, especially by those who find the concept of free market capitalism as utterly incomprehensible to them. That along with the concept of "free choice" by the voters. Let the campaign begin and tally the voter's "will." Pretty sure how things will be resolved.

"Free-market capitalism" is an oxymoron.

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