December's here, which means the holiday season is upon most of North America.
And, thanks to a scandal, partisan bickering, and that good ol' "Put the Party before the People" mentality that seems to be spreading north, Canadian politicians are spreading holiday cheer to all.
Merry Christmas, Canada! How about a holiday election that nobody seems to really want or need?
Like a 20-year-old block of fruitcake, Canada's elected leadership has spent more time exchanging barbs than actually accomplishing anything in the last few months.
Following in that new North American tradition of shutting down a government over a dead issue, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin's government was given the ax by the other three major political parties in parliment after Martin was cleared in a bribery scandal involving the previous prime minister.
Canadians can still hold their heads high, however.
The U.S. still holds the record for stupidest impeachment, and Ottawa has yet to experience its first blowjob-as-issue election.
Canadian PM and Liberal Party leader Paul Martin, Conservative Party leaderStephen Harper, New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton, and Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe all earn first prize in this month's first ZenFo Pro Stupid Politican Tricks.
For a Canadian prospective of what's really behind the no-confidence election madness, check out G's in-depth analysis of holiday election.
Not to be upstaged by our neighbor above the 49th, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice comes in in second place this week for her shoddy inpersonation of a real diplomat during her recent trip to Europe.
What's the best way to ease European anxiety about possible secret CIA prisons and covert U.S. interrogation facilities in the former Soviet Union?
Issue a paper-tiger statement defending the the act of rendition, claiming that the U.S. only sends terror suspects to nations they believe will not torture people.
Given the fact that the U.S. government is currently led by a guy who believed there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and who believes he was somehow appointed by God to promote some bizarre political agenda, I'm sure her statement instills oodles of confidence in people around the world.
From South Africa, our third-place finisher...
African National Congress deputy president Jacob Zuma, after being sacked as one of that country's deputy executives this year, will now be arraigned on rape charges and was formally charged Tuesday morning.
Zuma is accused of sexually assaulting a 31 year-old AIDS activist and family friend. After weeks of allegations in the media, Zuma admitted to having a sexual relationship with the woman, but denies the physical relationship was rape.
Regardless, Zuma is screwed. If he is exonerated by the courts, his sexual improprieties will have ended his career. If found guilty, he will go down as being the vilest elected official in the 11-yearold democracy's history.
The sad irony here lies in the fact that South Africa is currently marking a “Sixteen Days of Activism” campaign to raise awareness of violence against women and girls. Rape is one of the most common crimes in the post-apartheid nation.
Zuma was summarily dismissed by SA president Thabo Mbeki in June, following the conviction of one of his top financial advisors for corruption.
Fini
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14 years ago
4 comments:
rape appears to be quite a common crime in all nations ..got to love them for trying but seriously in a nation on a continent in which rape is an act of war an violence perpetrated god know how many thousands of times daily it is pip service at it's best.
What's hilarious about the whole mess in Canada is an election was already scheduled for the springtime. The opposition has nothing on the PM, is getting desperate, and felt they couldn't wait until spring, god forbid the government in power do something to win the hearts of the people in that time. So here we have three opposition parties ganging up to force an early election and (a) force people to listen to and focus on the barbs over the holidays, and (b) prevent any form of governance for the people to be done. Two surefire ways to win the hearts of the people, those are not.
I tend to write little about Condi because I firmly believe she's as out of the loop as Dubs is. It often seems as if they're both told what's happening by Cheney & Rummy, without any real knowledge as to what is happening. Compare quotes throughout the Iraq war and you get a sense of this. I actually feel badly for both of them ... it's never a good sign when you feel compelled to pity the leader of one of the most powerful nations for the position he is in. Poor bastard.
As for Zuma, it's just further evidence that sex, politics, and abuse in power go together the same as sex, drugs & rock n' roll, and exists in every government of every country. Hell, here in Canada we had Margaret Trudeau and the Rolling Stones ... but people were nice enough not to make an election issue out of it. ;-)
Alice:
Rape is a huge crime in the developing world, but I think its also important to realize "rape" means different things in different parts of the world. I think SA is definitely taking a step in the right direction. There's something to be said for the legacy of guys like Madela and Rev. Tutu, who helped instill that.
G:
LOL...that's what I was just reading, actually.
I've actually had similar feelings of pity for Bush lately, especially after Katrina. Its clear that he's not able to act independently of guys like Rove and Co. - the whole Plame thing has proven that. A leader of the free world shouldn't be a follower of the herd; he should display leadership.
As for Zuma, very good point.
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