A huge, steaming pile of doofus

So PC MLA Rob Anderson was one of two government MLAs who crossed the floor yesterday to the upstart Wildrose Alliance party. Since then, the rookie MLA has been shooting his mouth off left and right (mostly right) about his issues with Ed Stelmach's government. While this action in and of itself is telling of his inexperience, it's his bright-eyed naivety that really hits it home for me. When interviewed about what disillusioned him about the whole thing, the Calgary Herald reports:

"It's a total lack of commitment to democratic values," he insists, adding that as a rookie politician he's been disillusioned by life inside the government.

"It's totally shocking as a new MLA. A lot of these people I really looked up to. I'd see them at the annual party meetings and admire them. Then they'd stand up and say these things in caucus. You kind of want to throw up afterward."

Yeesh. I want to throw up, too. More at your statement than at the realization that Alberta is run by a surfeit of assholes. I mean, if I wanted to throw up every time I was disappointed in the lack of democratic processes and citizen-oriented policymaking in this province, I'd be walking around with a bucket and a crash helmet.

Seriously, dude? What sort of politician ARE you? You admired all the warm fuzzies they gave you while they kissed your baby and pinched your cheeks at the rah-rah lovefests? But then the wolves doffed the sheep's clothing and you could see them for what they really were? Well golly-gee-willikers, sir! What a revelation. These comments leave one wondering not so much how deep absolute power has corrupted the government, but more how you manage not to get mugged every time you leave the house. Having faith in people is a wonderful thing. And even some politicians are deserving of it. But seriously, dude? SERIOUSLY? Get your head out of the sand. I am gobsmacked at the idea of an Alberta PC MLA fleeing because the idealist shangri-la wasn't in caucus as promised. What ideals? Where have you been? What rock are you under, and is there room for me in there so I don't have to smack myself in the head everytime I read this tripe?

Ick.

Climate Change and Copenhagen.

I tend to mock and jeer politics, yet keep my own personal activism out of it. Since the Copenhagen climate talks are underway and will set the precedent for--without exaggeration--the likely future of the human race on this planet, I figure it's fair to urge people to write their local, provincial and federal politicians to get their voices heard. I'm willing to pay for the world to get better. I'm willing to stop filling my gas tank so often and to have to take the bus to the store if it means that Canada stops polluting so much. And I'd like to let my government know, before they go and walk out of negotioations if the numbers seem too "high" for our northern sensibilities to tolerate. I hope you'll do the same.

You can fill out a letter here to write about the parliamentary bill C-311

The Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) also has letter templates here.

Find your MLA.

Environment Minister Rob Renner

#425 Legislature Building10800 - 97 AvenueEdmonton, ABCanada T5K 2B6

or

620 - 3rd Street SEMedicine Hat, ABCanada T1A 0H5

Premier Ed Stelmach

307 Legislature Building10800 97 AvenueEdmonton, ABCanada T5K 2B6

or

Box 4514945 - 51 AvenueVegreville, ABCanada T9C 1R6

Find your MP.

Environment Minister Jim Prentice

House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

or

105-1318 Centre St NE
Calgary, Alberta
T2E 2R7

Prime Minister Stephen Harper

House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

or

1600 - 90th Avenue SW, Suite A-203
Calgary, Alberta
T2V 5A8

Climate Action Network Canada

The Pembina Institute's Climate Change site

Add your name to the climate change list at TckTckTck

How to answer anti-climate change arguments, from the BBC.

People give me a headache...

I deal with shit like this all the time. It's shameful when a member of my own profession (fledging as my career may be) doesn't get it. Doesn't understand his role. Doesn't think--and in the process makes us all look bad.

I've struggled internally with the concept of working in communications and performing public relations tasks as opposed to going into journalism. A lot of that has to do with job security, and some of it has to do with wanting to succeed in communications on my own terms. But the best way for me to do my job is to work with the media, let them know that my job is to help them do their job because, let's face it: my job is the other side of the coin.

Journalists don't get access to business CEOs and government ministers without first going through communications people. In return for access, the communications staff gets to put the organization front and centre and get third-party endorsement for its cause/initiative/whathaveyou. Basic media relations 101. It's so fundamental to communications that the purpose. of. communications. is. to. communicate. And yet so many communicators don't get it. They start acting like politicians, being evasive and offering "no comment" or cockblocking the press. What are you? A fucking press agent? No. No you're not. You're a goddamned public relations professional. Emphasis on professional. And you're giving my kind the reputation as dismissive spin doctors, when I work my butt off to get my story out there and provide the best kind of information I can to journalists who call me.

Stop being a tool and do your job. No organization's ideas are so secret they need to be kept completely confidential, unless those secrets happen to be nuclear missile codes. Otherwise, you're just being an ass and aggrandizing yourself to no good end. Oh, you get press, alright: bad press. And while some may argue that any press is good press, undoing the damage you caused will take a long time, and the media will never fully trust you again. Good job. Way to shoot yourself in the foot. now if you don't mind limping off in that direction, I've got ethical, responsible media relations to conduct.

Pawns on a political chessboard.

Paula Simons really hit it out of the park today with her article on the Alberta Hospital shutdown. Invisible fist bump for Paula.

"On average, according to Alberta Health Services's own figures, two mentally ill patients arrive at an Edmonton emergency department every hour. That number will surely grow without Alberta Hospital's beds and services in the mix. Every metro ER will feel the consequences, and so will every shelter. For a provincial government that claims to be committed to ending homelessness and keeping communities safe, the shutdown of most of Alberta Hospital seems a grotesque step backward. Nor could the timing be worse, given that the province is just about to implement long-awaited legislation to make it easier to commit chronic psychiatric patients for care."

Not to sound too 14-year-old here, but "duh."

A little clever goes a long way

I am not a fan of most protests. Having been to a few during my student years and having observed even more during my working-for-the-legislature days, I'm pretty blase about the whole exercise. Not that protest isn't meaningful. Just that, well...for the most part, the average protest is more about making angry remarks and less about getting the message across. This is why I like irony, satire and the like. They make protest subtle, stabbing the heart of the matter like a swift blade, rather than bludgeoning observers over the head with it like an anvil.

Remember Kanye West's horrible mic-snatch from Taylor Swift at the MVAs? Here's someone's Kanye-take on US healthcare. Brilliant.


ps - a plug for my homeland never goes unappreciated.

Politicians are silly...

...and making fun of them is akin to shooting fish in a barrel, taking candy from a baby, or any number of effortless cliches.

When done well, however, you can't help but snicker and applaud.

I've worked in and around politics, politicians and policy hacks for a few years now. While I don't consider myself a staunchly political person, I am engaged and have developed into a wary cynic, rather than any sort of commentator. That said, I rub shoulders with and socialize with a broad spectrum of politically-minded folk. I worked with Dave Cournoyer briefly and went to school with Adam Rozenhart. They're both clever and quick, ideal qualities for handling the slippery subject of politics. Kudos to both for their ingenuity.

Sometimes, politicians don't need their asses handed to them. Sometimes, they serve it to you on a silver platter. Schadenfreude, baby.

Ok, that's my dose of real-world for the day. Tomorrow: monkeys!

Tool.

Tool (n.) One who lacks the mental capacity to know he is being used. A fool. A cretin. Characterized by low intelligence and/or self-steem. (urbandictionary.com)

Conservative MLA Doug Elniski was wrist-slapped by Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach after a series of boneheaded, insensitive comments he made about women became public.

Skipping along his merry way back to the stoneage, Mr. Elniski posted several sexist comments on his blog, made snide remarks about Edmonton's Pride Parade and basically fulfilled every negative conservative stereotype in 140 characters or less.

In a comment on junior high school graduates on his twit--erm, I mean, Twitter--feed, he wrote:

"Men are attracted to smiles, so smile and don't give me that 'treated equal' stuff, if you want Equal it comes in little packages at Starbucks."

Har har har *cough*

On the same page, he gave directions to a bikini carwash where the girls looked "cold". I can only assume he then scratched his ass, sniffed it and then trudged around looking for a woman to club and bring back to his cave.

The thing that pisses me off about this is not the obvious ass-backwardsness of his comments--which are so stereotypical as to be more sad than funny--but that the thought never entered his brain that, being a public figure, his comments might be made, you know...public. Because the internet is well-known as a discreet means of communication. It's bad enough that you think these thoughts, but to actually believe you can get away with saying them? That's a level of clueless entitlement for which awards should be given.

Today he's being chided for his silliness while female MLAs and his daughter defend him, citing his donations to women's charities as proof of his lack of sexism. Umm...no. Supporting women's charities and viewing them as equal participants in society are incongruent. You can believe that women should be in the kitchen baking you a pie and still want to protect them from being abused or living in poverty.

Way to go, Doug. You did 'em proud. And in the same week that our Finance minister, Iris Evans, talked about how women should stay home and raise their kids instead of pursuing careers, as she mistakenly did. I'm so pleased to know that soon I will be able to kick back at home, keep my husband's slippers warming by the fire and vacuum in high heels while baking cookies.

You fucking knob.

Read the Edmonton Journal article here.
Read the Canadian Press take here.
See Dave Cournoyer's take here.