The Joke's On Us

April Fools! 

Oh wait... it's September. *sigh* That means it's true... Click here for the chilling details.

I have finally found something so ludicrous and wrong to the point of hilarity to blog about. (I do believe I have mentioned many times how much I suck at keeping up with things. If you still read these, merci buckets!)

If you were asked to think of a "champion of democracy, freedom, and human rights", and a "world statesman", or even an "award winner", who would you think of?

Disclaimer: This photo does not belong to me nor did I create it. The author is a mystery. 

But if I ever find the person who created it, I will personally nominate them for a world statesman award.

I think of people like Aung San Suu Kyi, Ban Ki-moon, and Vandana Shiva to name only a few highly deserving of such titles. These kind of people dedicate their lives to protecting the basic human rights of their people - and subsequently, the rest of humanity (if it's happening somewhere, it can happen anywhere). They see connections between economics, the environment, our well being as a species - connections that most world leaders don't have the imagination to even begin to comprehend. 

If by chance you thought "I know one!! Stephen Harper!" (I was going to finish this sentence with a string of expletives and insults, but decided it wasn't very dignified), you agree with a group in the U.S. called the Appeal of Conscience Foundation. You are also an idiot and probably can't read. 

Since 2006, when elected as a minority Prime Minister, Stephen Harper has:

1. Been involved with honestly countless scandals, the most crass being the time his party hired auto-dialers to call Canadians en mass days before our last federal election to misdirect and misinform voters (election fraud, in simple terms)
2. In one weekend, smashed to bits Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms by arresting and holding over 1000 people in Toronto during the G8 Summit without charging over 90% of them with any crime (oh yeah, he sure is a champion of democracy, freedom, and human rights!)
3. Prorogued parliament to avoid discussing issues in a public forum - HA! Democracy. Yup.
4. Cut all funding to UNESCO because Palestine was recognized by the organization as a country (I think our  UNESCO World Heritage Sites designations should be revoked for such petty, ethnically provoked, disgusting behaviour)
5. Shifted Canada's trade focus to only free trade agreements, which only promote economic inequality in the world
6. Focused Canada's trade relations to specifically China - the most powerful anti-democratic nation in the world
7. Recently cut substantial funding to northern Aboriginal groups - perpetuating racial disparity in this country
8. Removed most watchdog agencies within the government, and continues to ignore the rest
9. Cut all funding to women's groups within Canada, including daycare programs, shelters for battered women, etc
1. Cut all funding to The Native Women's Association of Canada which helped provide health care to the most unhealthy population of people in Canada: Aboriginal women
10. Removed the most effective and resourceful components of our federal environmental policies 
11. Cut funding to Planned Parenthood - the reasoning? Because the program does not rule out abortions in foreign countries where they are legal. HELLO! It's legal here!! Way to be non-biased and "not bring up the abortion issue." Assholes
12. Ignored pleas for help from the Lubicon Cree - being directly impacted by friends of Harper who are developing the tar sands
13. On the same topic, Attawapiskat... need I say more?
14. Etc, etc...
15. Been honoured with an award from a Jewish-founded organization days after dramatically denouncing a country that is against Israel. I hate to be cynical, but I just don't think this is a coincidence. Especially since even suggesting Harper deserves this award is laughable! Why else would he all of a sudden be on this group's radar?

Harper does not come CLOSE to believing in equality (unless you're rich, run an oil rig, or sell cheap junk made by child slaves), democratic values (unless you can help his campaign by either lying, stealing, or donating over the legal limits), and freedom (unless you completely avoid dissent and never question his motives. Ever.). He believes in himself. And his own version of God. And he now believes he deserves recognition for horse shit.

Yup, give the man an award! It'll be a riot! 

Ugh... I try to laugh, but the joke is totally on us. This robotic overlord represents you and I to the rest of the world. *shudder*

I'm going to have some wine and ride my bike. You know, the regular activities of a Pinko on a near-autumn evening.

No quote again.