There is nothing useful on this web site.
Even though the internet is the source of all truth, the only truth here is that everything else is a lie.
We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely.
All art is quite useless.- Oscar Wilde
Now that I have finished praising Steven Harper, it's time to serve some cold cuts and leftovers.
One of the best bits of news (for me anyways) was the resounding defeat of Lawrence Cannon. The media had a bit of fun with this, and why not?
This is a story about an incumbent candidate (always the favorite) with the prestigious title of Minister of Foreign Affairs, representing the Conservative party which is heavily favoured to win.
And he lost! Lawrence Cannon, defying all odds, once again managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory! A repeat of his magnificient failure to win a seat on the UN Security Council for Canada. Another Canadian first.
Cannon was beat in the election by Mathieu Ravignat, an relative unknown. Mr. Ravignat is a karate instructor, has previously ran as a communist; takes an interest in medieval history; and now represents the NDP.
Ravignat won by nearly 8000 votes. Already, Mr. Ravignat sounds more interesting and accomplished than his predecessor.
Some may recall that Canada, for the first time ever, lost a bid to win a seat on the UN Security Council. We lost to Portugal no less, a postage stamp sized country with a population ⅓ of Canada, and a basket-case economy in need of a euro bail-out.
Cannon had arranged for tasteful gift packs of Canadian maple syrup and pork back-bacon condoms condiments to be discreetly placed on the chair of each delegate, and had dutifully served advance notice that Steven Harper (the magnificient) would be addressing the UN general assembly.
This, apparently, was not enough.
In true form, Cannon initially laid the blame for this FAIL on Michael Ignatieff. In case any readers here remain unconvinced of his capacity for self delusion and stupidity, Cannon also stated, in his swan-song, that he has few regrets and would not have changed his UN campaign "one iota".
Some may recall other highlights moments in Lawrence Cannon's illustrious career, such as when Federal Court Justice Zinn ordered the immediate repatriation of Aboufisian Abdelrazik - the Canadian citizen who was stranded in Sudan for six years (his final 18 months spent living in the courtyard of the Canadian Embassy in Sudan). Somehow Mr. Abdelrazik's name appeared on a UN 1267 list as a suspected terrorist.
In spite of the fact that there is absolutely no known evidence to support this allegation, Lawrence Cannon set near impossible conditions for Abdelrazik to meet before he could return home. Cannon even threatened to charge any Canadians who donated to Abdelrazik's airfare home with "supporting terrorism."
Then, at the last moment, Cannon withdrew an offer for an emergency passport home - the plane waiting on the tarmac and the ticket paid for - with no reason given.
Justice Zinn called this behavior bad faith. That is being kind. The truth is Lawrence Cannon was a world class jerk - and a racist jerk at that.
To complete our Lawrence Cannon tri-fecta, we will briefly tell the story of Suaad Mohamud, the Canadian mother stranded in Kenya for 3 months before being issued an emergency passport. Ms. Mohamud had her real passport invalidated after refusing to pay over a bribe for departure clearance.
The Canadian embassy officials in Kenya were (initially) no help at all. Cannon insisted all along that the woman was an imposter. Through persistence, a little help from Canadians at home, and with DNA evidence provided by Ms. Mohamud (at her insistence), an emergency passport was finally issued when it was confirmed her DNA was a match to her son in Toronto.
Cannon was nowhere to be found when the proof came in, and said nothing about it.
So if you were a Canadian in a foreign country, had the wrong skin color, or the wrong last name, you were basically f***ed if Lawrence Cannon had anything to do with it.
If I may borrow a favorite phrase of Steven Harper… let me be clear, Lawrence Cannon was a absolute disgrace as the Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister.
If there was a positive outcome in this recent election; a ray of sunshine; a glimmer of hope; in what sometimes seems like the hopeless downward spiral of Canadian politics and democracy, it is that the voters in Pontiac, Quebec were not fooled by this charlatan.
Unlike the pollsters, the media, or the bookmakers; the voters of Pontiac know that Lawrence Cannon was a sham. A fire hydrant would have been a better Foreign Affairs Minister than Lawrence Cannon.
Lawrence Cannon was defeated by a wide margin, and for the very best of reasons.
May the rest of Canada follow suit four years from now.