It takes some people, like me, 40 years to learn that "if you keep doing what you are doing, you will keep getting what you are getting." That lesson is almost a natural law of the universe. It is not in a statute anywhere. It is just a natural sequence of events. A given. You can resist it, fight it, argue against it but eventually you have to admit to it. You can do it with proud acknowledged acceptance or resigned submission. Either way you get to a point where you have to say "OK, what must I do different?"
I watched Paul Martin say, " I have zero tolerence for that kind of thing", as he stripped Abbotsford Liberal, David Oliver, of his authorization as Liberal Candidate for trying to pull a political maneouver. This is the same Paul Martin who gave Belinda Stronach a cabinet post for leaving the Conservative Party. This is the same PM who sent Liberal Ujjal Dosanjh to entice Grewal to leave the Conservative Party. Why did he not strip Liberal Ujjal Dosanjh of his authorization as a Liberal candidate for trying to do the same thing with Cadman? Why did he not have the principles to stop himself from bringing Belinda straight into his Cabinet?
Why should he be surprised when David Oliver approached NDP candidate Jeffrey Hansen-Carlson to negotiate a political maneouver? David Oliver seems to be following his leader's actions and his party's leadership. Martin is discordant and inconsistent whereas Harper is harmonious and consistent and sticks to his beliefs popular or not. Martin has switcharoo convictions that switch in accord with whatever wind is blowing. He has values of convenience.
What does the Liberal Party stand for anymore? Who knows? It changes week to week. Exactly what is the difference between the left Liberal Party and the left NDP? I don't see a difference between the socialist Grits and the socialist NDP. They are both going at the same speed and both are being dishonest. They need to go through the same growing process that the Alliance and the Conservatives went through. They need to get back to listening to and representing the people, not just themselves.
Is there any center position left to the Liberals? They have avoided and hidden that question for years by playing the "we are the only unite-the country-party" card for years. Much like Duceppe plays the "we are the separate-Quebec-party" card to avoid the question of whether he is left wing or right wing. In typical Canadian fashion the voter isnt going to answer the question for them but rather sweep the whole issue under the rug and get rid of the whole lot.
Meanwhile we the voters who are disillusioned with politics, like Quebecers are, wonder why we keep getting the Gomery enquiries, the income trusts insider-trading investigations, and dishonest politicians. The answer is fairly simple. We keep voting them back in. We close our eyes to the Gomery type findings. Eventually the Canadian people coast to coast must and will say enough is enough, time for a change. Time to turn right at that corner instead of left. I ain't going to keep doing what I have been doing cause I am tired of getting what I have been getting.
I remember the headline two years ago asking, after the lying President Bush was re-elected, "How could 55 million voters be so stupid." If I believe the Canadian polls, I guess I can ask, "how can 8 million Canadian voters be so stupid?" When it comes to being a habitual liar, I do not see much of a difference between Martin or Bush.
I hope to believe that the Canadian voter is more insistant, more vigilent and demanding when it comes to ethics and principles and the most important qualities of a politician; honesty, sincerity,consistency and committment. I want
a man who is not afraid to stand up for his principles consistently and correctly. I certainly don't want a PM who gets on TV and hypocritically indicates the President of another country is lacking in a global conscious when our country does not walk its talk and that other country does. I want a PM I can be proud of. I honestly can not say I am proud of PM Martin. He is an embarrassment, inconsistent and unscrupulous. He truly needs the boot.
