Politics is and always has been a dirty business. Because of that, I am amazed that Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the rest of the Conservative caucus hasn't thrown Mike Duffy and Pamela Wallin under the bus. Instead, Harper gives vague answers when pressed in the House of Commons and what is happening is that the entire party is taking a major hit. Justin Trudeau may not have to lift a finger to become the next leader of this country. Harper and his band of corrupt politicians are going to gift wrap it for him. We are a forgiving society. If Harper would come out and say he's disgusted by the actions of these two senators and then offer firm, concrete measures to prevent it from happening again, all would be forgotten. Instead, he does a tap dance and that speaks volumes to me.
I give full marks to the MP who has decided to leave the Conservatives over this senate debacle. Brent Rathgeber, an Edmonton area politician, withdrew from the party and will sit as an independent. His former buddies are sniping at him and saying he should give up the seat entirely and run again in a bye-election. Rathgeber contends the seat belongs to him, not the Conservatives and I'm inclined to agree. Having said that, I am betting he would win based on this showing of a decant moral conscience.
I posted a number of weeks ago that Yorkton-Melville MP Gary Breitkreuz had comparable expenses to Pamela Wallin (according to a prominent national newspaper). I shouldn't be surprised to learn that not a single full-time reporter in this market has done any digging to find out why.
iPhone App of the week is 1Password. I think it costs $8.99; but I will never ever forget a password ever again. It will accept all of your login details so that you can access your social media sites or financial ones without ever having to type in your details. It's perfect. Especially in a world where websites are asking for more difficult passwords in order to keep their sites more secure.
Crime shorts this week: A BC man called police to report his trailer at been stolen with him in it. Apparently, it was found (with him alive and well inside) a short time later; but the thieves were long gone. In Texas, a man has been found not guilty of shooting his prostitute after she failed to provide a service in addition to keeping his $150. Apparently, Texas has a 'deadly force' rule that can be applied when someone takes something that belongs to you and doesn't return it. Serious.
The Edmonton Oilers have hired a non-former Oiler to coach their team. The sky must be falling. If Dallas Eakins decides to terminate assistants Kelly Buchberger and Steve Smith (former Oilers, of course) then that will be a clear sign this organization may, finally after twenty years of ineptitude, be serious about becoming a contender. I wonder if Eakins had in his contract that if he is able to get Edmonton into the playoffs, does he have firing rights of Kevin Lowe and Craig MacTavish? Oiler fans should be thankful that Edmonton is Edmonton and not a place like Los Angeles or New York. Otherwise the dimwitted would have lobbied for Mark Messier or Wayne Gretzky to coach the team, but we all know neither of those Hall Of Famers will ever have anything to do with Edmonton again. Sure, they pay the city nice lip service, but they couldn't be any more removed from Edmonton than Gordie Howe.
You have to wonder if the Pittsburgh Penguins have moved to the front of the Roberto Luongo bus. I never fail to be amazed at how bad today's NHL goaltender is. With all that equipment, how do they ever give up any goals? Yet, Marc-Andre Fleury lets more pucks go by him than he stops. I still think Vancouver may be best served to move Corey Schneider because he'll net them greater return and the Canucks need more than one or two pieces to contend. Their window is shut.
The CFL season is right around the corner. I'm, extremely, curious to see how the Winnipeg Blue Bombers make out with the oft-injured Buck Pierce as their starting quarterback in a brand new stadium. Get used to hearing the name Max Hall. The former Arizona pivot appears to be the first in line for a back-up job to Pierce. Will Winnipeg make a play for Jamarcus Russell, who figures to be in the CFL once he's done auditioning for NFL teams this month? The Bombers' first year in a new stadium is akin to hosting the Grey Cup. While, Saskatchewan has gone out and added quality veterans, the Bombers haven't done a whole bunch.
Before you get too excited about the Roughriders, take a look at the Toronto Blue Jays and the success they've had by using the free agent market to turn themselves into serious 'contenders'. Still, I give Brendan Taman full marks. He's trying and I like the moves. It's hard to argue with them.
Nice person mentions this week to Daryl Bode, Darryl Flunder, Kevin Kingdon, Sam Larsen, and Cheryl Kustra.
