Sunday, July 5, 2009

Did Sarah Palin take out Canadian citizenship?

Surfing around various Canadian blogs recently I was amazed at how many are writing about the resignation of the former GOP vice presidential candidate. Granted, as governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin is about as close to being Canadian as an American can get...but holy hockey moms!!!

Its not like there aren't events taking place here in Canada that don't warrant at least equal attention.

Many who enjoy casting Stephen Harper in a negative light were likely disappointed with the Prime Minister's moving words in eulogizing former Tory MP Dave Batters who committed suicide this past June 30th. But give credit where credit is due, Harper struck all the right chords and brings national exposure to an illness affecting many Canadians, that of anxiety and depression. The Prime Minister spoke movingly of Batters' struggle, quoting directly from the Toronto Star article:

"While we cannot understand why a loved one would act with such sudden finality, we need to know that Dave is not alone. Each year, nearly 4,000 Canadians make this same choice. Although science has made progress in understanding mental illness, "we still don't know enough about depression, and less about suicide," Harper said. Toronto Star story here.

Those preferring to cast Harper in a negative light aren't without resource however. The National Post yesterday reported on the Tory use of attack ads in Quebec. The Tories are attempting to portray the BQ as being soft on pedophiles because they voted against a bill mandating minimum sentencing for those convicted of trafficking in children.

Talk about a Dubya like, 'you're either for us or agin us' stance. Ideologues like Harper love to hide behind wedges issues like children and support for our soldiers. It sure beats meaningful debate, and it serves their political modus operandi of divide and conquer. Fortunately Canadians are smart enough to see through the obvious smoke and mirrors. Just because the Bloc doesn't want judges to lose their discretionary power in sentencing, that does not mean they're soft on punishing pedophiles.

There's always plenty happening in our country. Canadian bloggers shouldn't need to flip on CNN in seeking out topical stories to write about.


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